12 Women Who Changed History

By Rituparna Roy Deshpande, Team iDiva

For time immemorial, women have inspired millions across the globe and been instrumental in changing history. They have not only left a mark with their achievements in a patriarchal setup, but also influenced many with their fight against injustice and issues concerning society. Though there are innumerable women achievers, here are 12 personalities from arts, cinema, politics et al who made a big impact in the course of history.

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Mother Teresa: Born in Albania, Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu who later went on to be known as Mother Teresa, came to India to serve the poor and the dying. She established the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata in 1950 with the sole objective of attending to the needy, sick, orphaned and dying. Today, the congregation of sisters is spread across the world with a presence in over 130 countries. Mother Teresa was honoured with the Nobel Peace prize in 1979.

Anne Frank: She may have died very young, but she's remembered even today for her courage and resilient spirit. Anne Marie Frank is known to many as the young girl who documented her survival during the Holocaust of World War II through her personal diary. The Diary of a Young Girl was first published in Dutch in 1942 and has been translated over 60 different languages.

Marie Curie: Marie Curie was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize for her pioneering research on radioactivity. The Polish born physicist and chemist was also the first female professor at the University of Paris back in the late 19th century. Marie Curie also founded the Curie Institutes in Paris and in Warsaw which are centres of medical research even today.

Savitri Bai Phule: A social reformer during the British rule, Savitribai Phule was the first female teacher of the first women's school in India. A renowned poet, she and her husband Mahatma Jyotirao Phule worked towards the upliftment of women in pre-independent India apart from bringing about reforms in the areas of widow remarriage and other social injustices.

Agatha Christie: Even today she is remembered for her detective novels with the characters Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple. Agatha Christie’s crime series take the credit for the most widely published books of all time and holds the Guinness Book of World Records for being the best-selling novelist till date.

Marilyn Monroe: For a woman to become a sex symbol back in the 1950s is surely a big deal. The fairytale story about American actress, model and songstress Marilyn Monroe made a big impact in the world of cinema. Fame, popularity and a tragic suicide at the age of 36 make this beautiful actress an iconic figure.

Virginia Woolf: Virgina Woolf was a 20th century feminist writer renowned for her novel Mrs Dalloway. As a social thinker, Woolf endeavoured to bring about change by fighting for working class women and their rights and gender equality in a patriarchy.

Indira Gandhi: She was the first woman Prime Minister of India and played a considerable role in Indian politics. Indira Gandhi is known to be a powerful leader because of major political, economic and military developments during her reign. Between 1975 and 1977 Indira Gandhi presided over a state of Emergency.

Reita Faria: Reita Faria Powell is the first Indian woman to win the Miss World title way back in 1966. A doctor by profession, she became the first Indian Miss World without any personal trainer, crash dieting and make up assistant, something one rarely gets to hear today. Faria refused to take up modelling and film offers post her win and instead focused on completing her medical studies.

Sarojini Naidu: Known as the Nightingale of India, Sarojini Naidu was instrumental in India’s struggle for freedom and is also one of the framers of the Indian constitution. Naidu, a poet, became an activist during the British rule and travelled to different parts of the country voicing issues related to social welfare, women’s empowerment and nationalism.

Vijay Lakshmi Pandit: Jawaharlal Nehru’s sister Vijay Lakshmi Pandit was the first woman President of the United Nations General Assembly. As an Indian diplomat, she became India's ambassador to several countries including the Soviet Union, the US, Mexico, Ireland and Spain. Her involvement in India’s struggle for freedom even led to her imprisonment several times by the British authorities.

Princess Diana: The beautiful Princess of Wales was always under media scrutiny right from her marriage into the royal family to her divorce in 1996 and death a year later.  A public figure, Princess Diana was actively involved with several charity works including a campaign to ban landmines. Her death was a shock to the world and her funeral was watched by millions worldwide.

Source: 12 Women Who Changed History