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

Shirley Horn

Jazz singer and pianist Shirley Horn was one of the leading jazz musicians of her generation.
READ MORE
Biography

Dolores Huerta

Co-founder of the United Farm Workers Association, Dolores Huerta is one of the most influential labor activists of the 20th century.
READ MORE
Biography

Ruby Hurley

Civil rights pioneer and campaigner, Ruby Hurley is most known for her work with the NAACP in the 1950s and 1960s.
READ MORE
Biography

Anne Hutchinson

Considered one of the earliest American feminists, Anne Hutchinson was a spiritual leader in colonial Massachusetts who challenged male authority.
READ MORE
Biography

Jovita Idár

Mexican-American journalist, activist, and suffragist, Jovita Idár often faced dangerous situations, however she bravely fought the injustices in her time.
READ MORE
Biography

Margaret Ives Abbott

Imagine being the first woman to win an Olympic event for the United States, but never knowing that you had done so. This is what happened to Margaret Ives Abbott.
READ MORE
Biography

Mae Jemison

Astronaut Mae Jemison became the first African American woman to travel in space.
READ MORE
Biography

Andrea Jenkins

Andrea Jenkins made history in 2017 when she became the first African American, openly transgender woman elected to public office in the United States.
READ MORE
Biography

Barbara R. Johns

As a teenager, Barbara Johns helped organize a strike that eventually led to the desegregation of schools in the United States.
READ MORE
Biography

Marsha P. Johnson

Marsha P. Johnson was one of the most prominent figures of the gay rights movement of the 1960s and 1970s in New York City.
READ MORE
Biography

Barbara Jordan

As a lawyer, a congresswoman, and a scholar, Barbara Jordan used her public speaking skills to fight for civil and human rights.
READ MORE
Biography

Deloris Jordan

Deloris Jordan has established multiple charities, especially focused on underprivileged youth.
READ MORE
Biography

Annie Jump Cannon

Known as the “census taker of the sky,” Annie Jump Cannon was a brilliant astronomer that revolutionized the way scientists classify stars.
READ MORE
Biography

Elena Kagan

The first female Solicitor General of the United States and now an associate justice on the U.S. Supreme Court, Elena Kagan is a prominent legal scholar and jurist who has advocated for justice and equality since childhood.
READ MORE
Biography

Edith Kanaka'ole 

Edith Kanaka’ole (also affectionately called “Aunty Edith”), a native Hawaiian composer, chanter and dancer, was a champion for the preservation of native Hawaiian culture and arts.
READ MORE
Biography

Kati Karikó

Karikó’s research and perseverance proved that mRNA vaccines were possible and paved the way for the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines to end the Covid-19 Pandemic.
READ MORE