Women are the engine of the world. Furthermore, even though we like to honour their accomplishments during Women’s History Month in March, it’s even more crucial to continue showing support for them on the other days of the year. For this reason, we’re telling the tales of 5 amazing women, ranging from well-known historical figures to unknown figures you should definitely keep an eye on. This list includes Olympic athletes, Oscar winners, politicians, scientists, and leaders of all stripes because women have broken records in almost every field and aspect of society. You’ll be inspired by these women who are making a difference.
1. Kalpana Chawla: Inspiring Women Who Changed the World
The first woman of Indian descent to fly into space was American astronaut and aerospace engineer Kalpana Chawla (17 March 1962 – 1 February 2003). She made her first flight on Space Shuttle Columbia as a primary robotic arm operator and mission specialist, in 1997. Chawla‘s second flight occurred on 2003’s STS-107, the last Columbia flight. She was one of the seven crew members who perished in the Space Shuttle Columbia accident on February 1, 2003, when the spacecraft broke apart during its re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the Indian prime minister at the time, declared on February 5, 2003, that the MetSat satellite constellation would now be known as “Kalpana 1“. First launched by India on September 12, 2002, “MetSat-1” was renamed “Kalpana-1” after it was redesigned.
2. Nellie Bly: Inspiring Women Who Changed the World
Elizabeth Cochran Seaman, better known by her pen name Nellie Bly, was an American journalist. She was best known for her record-breaking 72-day circumnavigation of the globe, which she accomplished in imitation of the fictional character Phileas Fogg by Jules Verne, and for an exposé in which she went undercover to report on a mental institution from within. Elizabeth Jane Cochran (May 5, 1864 – January 27, 1922) established a new genre of investigative journalism and was a trailblazer in her field. The films 10 Days in a Madhouse (2015), The Adventures of Nellie Bly (1981), and Escaping the Madhouse: The Nellie Bly Story (2019) all feature Bly. 2019 saw the release of the short animated biographical film Nellie Bly Makes the News by the Centre for Investigative Reporting.
3. Junko Tabei: Inspiring Women Who Changed the World
Junko Tabei (22 September 1939 – 20 October 2016) was a Japanese mountaineer, author, and teacher. She ascended the highest peak on each continent and became the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest and the Seven Summits. Tabei authored seven books, oversaw cleanup efforts to remove trash from Everest climbers’ trail, and led yearly ascents of Mount Fuji for young people impacted by the Great East Japan Earthquake. 2019 saw the naming of the Tabei Montes mountain range on Pluto in her honour, and an astronomer named the asteroid 6897 Tabei after her.
4. Marie Curie: Inspiring Women Who Changed the World
Known simply as Marie Curie, Maria Salomea Skłodowska-Curie (7 November 1867 – 4 July 1934) was a Polish chemist and physicist who became a naturalised French citizen and carried out groundbreaking studies on radioactivity. She was the first woman to receive the Nobel Prize, the first individual to receive it twice, and the only recipient to receive it in two different scientific disciplines. As co-winners of her first Nobel Prize, she and her husband Pierre Curie established the Curie family legacy of five Nobel Prizes and became the first married couple to win the prize ever. Marie Curie, one of the most well-known scientists in history, has garnered admiration from people all over the world, including pop culture, and has grown to become an icon in the scientific community. Additionally, she was awarded numerous honorary degrees by international universities.
5. Wilma Rudolph: Inspiring Women Who Changed the World
After overcoming childhood polio, American sprinter Wilma Glodean Rudolph (June 23, 1940 – November 12, 1994) went on to set world records in track and field and become a global sports icon. Her accomplishments in the 1956 and 1960 Olympic Games cemented her status as an Olympic icon. Rudolph participated in the 200-meter dash and took home a bronze in the 4 × 100-meter relay during the Melbourne, Australia, 1956 Summer Olympics. At the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy, she also took home three gold medals in the individual 100- and 200-meter events as well as the 4 x 100-meter relay. Rudolph was the first American woman to win three gold medals in track and field at an Olympic Games, and she was hailed as the fastest woman in the world in the 1960s. Rudolph was named one of the top five female athletes in the US by the Women’s Sports Foundation in 1984.