Biographies

Women have always played an active role in history. Explore some of the historical women and contemporary newsmakers that continue to impact the world. New biographies are added regularly, so check back to discover inspiring new stories!

Biography

Elizebeth Smith Friedman

Known as “America’s first female cryptanalyst,” Elizebeth Smith Friedman’s pioneering work in the field of codebreaking helped the country through pivotal moments in the 20th Century.
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Biography

Grace Frysinger

Teacher, lecturer, and author, Grace Frysinger supported rural communities throughout her career.
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Biography

Matilda Joslyn Gage

Famously referred to as “the woman who was ahead of the women who were ahead of their time,” author, activist, and lecturer Matilda Joslyn Gage worked tirelessly to advocate for abolition, women’s rights, and Native American rights.
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Biography

Melinda Gates

As co-chair of the world’s largest private charitable foundation, Melinda Gates is one of the most powerful women in philanthropy.
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Biography

Sarah Josepha Hale

Sarah Josepha Hale is best known for creating the nursery rhyme “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” Her influence can also be seen in historic sites and a national holiday still widely celebrated today.
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Biography

Fannie Lou Hamer

Fannie Lou Hamer was one of the most important, passionate, and powerful voices of the civil and voting rights movements .
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Biography

Lorraine Hansberry

In 1959, Lorraine Hansberry made history as the first African American woman to have a show produced on Broadway—A Raisin in the Sun.
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Biography

Joy Harjo

Poet, activist, and musician Joy Harjo became the first Native American United States Poet Laureate in history.
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Biography

Frances Ellen Watkins Harper

Frances Ellen Watkins Harper was the first African American woman to publish a short story and was also an influential abolitionist, suffragist, and reformer.
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Biography

Kamala Harris

Kamala D. Harris became the first woman, the first African American woman, the first Indian-American, the first person of Asian-American descent, and the first graduate of an HBCU to become the Vice-President Elect of the United States of America.
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Biography

Mary Ludwig Hays

A symbolic figure in the American Revolutionary War, the woman known as “Molly Pitcher” reportedly brought water to the troops at the Battle of Monmouth and worked the cannon after her husband was wounded.
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Biography

Dorothy Height

Dorothy Height was the president of the National Council of Negro Women for 40 years and a leader in the Civil Rights Movement.
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Biography

Audrey Faye Hendricks

On May 2, 1963, 9 year old Audrey Faye Hendricks became the youngest known person arrested during the Civil Rights Movement. 
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Biography

Antonia Hernández

According to Antonia Hernández, she “went to law school for one reason: to use the law as a vehicle for social change.” Decades later, she can claim numerous legal victories for the Latinx community in voting rights, employment, and education.
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Biography

Carmen Herrera

Abstract painter, sculptor, and minimalist Carmen Herrera influenced a generation of artists.
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Biography

Judith Heumann

Judith Heumann has improved accessibility and opportunities for the estimated 56 million people in the United States and one billion people around the world with disabilities.
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