Influential Women in History

In ancient times, women were treated unjustly in nearly all parts of the world. This practice may be still prevalent in some places, however, with changing times, women now share equal status with men and also enjoy equal rights. This led to progress of women and many of them made noteworthy achievements in their respective fields.

Most Famous Women in History
The following are brief biographies of some notable and famous women in history.

Blessed Virgin Mary
Mary, Mariam, Virgin Mary or Saint Mary; as she is known all over the world, is the virgin mother of Jesus Christ. Christians believe that she was conceived by the Holy Spirit and hence, she is the virgin mother of Jesus. Catholic and Eastern Orthodox church offer prayers to Mary as she is considered as the mother of the Church.

Cleopatra
Cleopatra VII was the last Queen of the Ptolemaic dynasty and also the last Pharaoh or the ruler of Egypt. She was a capable ruler, a brilliant diplomat and renowned for her classical beauty. Cleopatra's marriages with Julius Caesar, Mark Antony and her own brother Ptolemy XIV, helped her protect her kingdom from Roman invasions for nearly 20 years.

Queen Victoria
Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India, was the longest reigning monarch in the British history. She is also considered as the longest reigning female ruler in the world for her rule of 63 years and 7 months. Modern constitutional monarchy developed in England during the reign of Queen Victoria.

Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi was the daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru (1st Prime minister of free India) and the first female Prime minister of India for 15 years. She led the country in the Indo-Pakistani war of 1971 which lead to the independence of Bangladesh. The nuclear program in India was also started in India during Indira Gandhi's reign.

Golda Meir
Golda Meir, also known as Golda Meyerson, was the first female Prime Minister of Israel from 1969-1974. She is considered as one of the earliest women to rule a nation in the world. Although immensely popular, she resigned after completion of the term, at the end of the Yom Kippur War.

Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa, born Albanian, but, a citizen of India, founded the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, where she nursed the sick and poor for 45 years. Today the Missionaries of Charity functions in 123 nations all around the world. Mother Teresa received a Nobel prize for Peace in 1979 and was also beatified by Pope John Paul II.

Marie Curie
Marie Curie was a physicist and pioneer in the field of radioactivity and one of the most renowned scientists in the world. Marie Curie was the first female Nobel prize winner in the field of physics (1903) and later in chemistry (1911). She is also the only person to win the Nobel prize twice in the world, till date.

Top 50 Most Influential Women

• Queen Elizabeth I (England)
• Madam Cama (India)
• Jacqueline Kennedy (USA)
• Rosa Parks (USA)
• Eleanor Roosevelt (USA)
• Harriet Tubman (USA)
• Helen Keller (USA)
• Florence Nightingale (England)
• Virginia Woolf (England)
• Rosa Luxemburg (Poland)
• Catherine, the Great (Russia)
• Joan of Arc (France)
• Coco Chanel (France)
• Barbara McClintock (USA)
• Sappho (Greece)
• Maria Montessori (Italy)
• Anne Frank (German)
• Marilyn Monroe (USA)
• Queen Hatshepsut (Egypt)
• Rani Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi (India)
• Mary Kingsley (English)
• Agatha Christie (England)
• Abbakka Rani (India)
• Julia Child (USA)
• Emily Bronte (England)
• Katherine Hepburn (USA)
• Benazir Bhutto (Pakistan)
• Sarojini Naidu (India)
• Vijayalakshmi Pandit (India)
• Ella Fitzgerald (USA)
• Grace Hopper (USA)
• Audrey Hepburn (England)
• Diana, Princess of Wales (England)
• Amelia Earhart (USA)
• Maria Theresa (Austria)
• Marie Antoinette (France)
• Betty Friedan (USA)
• Isabella Of Spain (Spain)
• Susan Anthony (USA)
• Wu Zetian (China)
• Margaret Mead (USA)
• Sarah Bernhardt (France)
• Emma Goldman (Lithuania)
• Emmeline Pankhurst (England)
• Mirabai (India)
• Elisabeth Kubler-Ross (Switzerland)
• Catherine de Medici (France)
• Queen Nzinga (South Africa)
• Clara Barton (USA)
• Elizabeth Blackwell (USA)

This list will keep on growing in multiples as long as mankind lives on. These were some of the influential women in history that have made an impact on the world and will be known forever for their achievement and remarkable feat!