
Biographies generously sponsored by Susan D. Whiting.
Suggest a new bioBiographies
Women have always played an active role in history. Explore some of the historical pioneers and contemporary newsmakers that continue to impact the world. New biographies are added regularly, so check back to discover new stories!
Featured Biographies
Biography
Prudence Crandall
Prudence Crandall bravely defied prevailing patterns of racial discrimination when she opened one of the first schools for African American girls in Connecticut in 1833.
READ MORE
Biography
Ann Pamela Cunningham
Ann Pamela Cunningham was an early leader in historic preservation and is often credited with saving President George Washington’s estate Mount Vernon.
READ MORE
Biography
Biography
Jane Arminda Delano
Jane Delano was the superintendent of the Army Nurse Corps and inspired many women to become nurses around the world.
READ MORE
Biography
Marlene Dietrich
Marie Dietrich was one of the most popular film and music stars of the 1930s and 1940s.
READ MORE
Biography
Dorothea Dix
Dorothea Dix was an early 19th century activist who drastically changed the medical field during her lifetime.
READ MORE
Biography
Ava DuVernay
Although she did not pick up a camera until she was thirty-two, Ava DuVernay has made history as a writer, director, and producer.
READ MORE
Biography
Amelia Earhart
Amelia Earhart was a record-breaking female aviator whose international fame paved the way for other female pilots.
READ MORE
Biography
Charity Adams Earley
Educator, soldier, and psychologist, Charity Adams Earley led the first African American women’s unit of the army on a tour of duty overseas during WWII.
READ MORE
Biography
Mary Baker Eddy
Mary Baker Eddy founded a popular religious movement during the 19th century, Christian Science.
READ MORE
Biography
Anne Frank
Anne Frank’s writing in her diary became one of the most recognized accounts of life for a Jewish family in Europe during World War II.
READ MORE
Biography
Elizabeth Freeman
Elizabeth Freeman became the first African American woman to successfully file a lawsuit for freedom in the state of Massachusetts.
READ MORE
Biography
Betty Friedan
Journalist, activist, and co-founder of the National Organization for Women, Betty Friedan was one of the early leaders of the women’s rights movement of the 1960s and 1970s.
READ MORE
Biography
Grace Frysinger
Teacher, lecturer, and author, Grace Frysinger supported rural communities throughout her career.
READ MORE
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.
READ MORE
Biography
Biography
Angelina Grimké Weld
Although raised on a slave-owning plantation, Angelina Grimké Weld became an ardent abolitionist.
READ MORE
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.
READ MORE
Biography
Biography
Fannie Lou Hamer
Fannie Lou Hamer was one of the most important, passionate, and powerful voices of the civil and voting rights movements .
READ MORE