Twelve Famous Female Trailblazers You Should Know About
Some of the most incredible advocates, inventors, writers, politicians, and activists have been famous women. Chances are you’ve already heard about a whole bunch of them: Rosa Parks, Maya Angelou, Gloria Steinem, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Kamala Harris, Malala Yousafzai, Greta Thunberg, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, just to name a few badass ladies. You know Simone Biles, you know Beyoncé (obv). You know Venus and Serena Williams. But there are many more trailblazing women who completely changed how we see and move through the world—and they’re just starting to get the recognition they deserve. They might be famous now, yes, but you might not know the full extent of their amazingness. Or, they were/are well-known and recognized in their field, but now they’re becoming known by ~everyone~. We’ve got the “Queen of Carbon” who helped invent the tech in all our smartphones. We’ve got the Black sci-fi author with a cult following who kinda predicted the future. And we’ve got the famous actress who also invented the basic GPS technology pretty much everyone uses 24/7.
Whether you want to feel inspired by some female-identifying icons, want to do some research on women you’d like to emulate, or want to learn more about incredible figures who probably shaped your life, we’ve got a big ol’ list of famous women that you should learn about ASAP. Below, read more about 12 history-changing women you should know about immediately.