Iconic Women in History

There is no doubt that last month, you came across countless stories about the life of the late Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Not only was she a leading figure in helping women realize their rights in the US, but she served as a power and inspiration for millions of women around the world who would love to walk in her footsteps. This month, though, seemed like a good time to have a look at other trailblazing women throughout history, who have made their mark on their world and in history:

Marie Curie

The only woman to have won two Nobel Prizes, Marie Curie is always an obvious starting point for lists of inspirational and iconic women. As the discoverer of radium and radioactivity, Curie’s work is what has allowed for a century of development of understandings and treatment of cancer!

Grace Hopper

(credit: ANU School of Engineering & Computer Science)

You probably haven’t heard the name Grace Hopper before, but you’ve definitely benefited from her work. Hopper saw the potential of computer power for more than just its military uses (as it was mostly viewed during the 1940s) and was in charge of creating the COBOL code for business. Using computing in business was but a stepping stone in making computing technologies more viable, ultimately leading to modern consumer computing. 

Junko Tabei

(credit: Wikimedia Commons)

Junko Tabei is another name that you probably don’t know, but her achievement is not a light one. Not only was Tabei the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest in 1970 but led the first all-female expedition to the summit just five years later. Although her name isn’t so widely known, her achievements shouldn’t be underestimated.