Published on Bob’s Hide Out
When we talk about the history of the world, there are many things that come to mind: the places, the situations, the inventions — and the people. Oh, the people! The kings and warriors who defended their lands, the decorated religious leaders who led the willing masses, the regular joe’s who made their impact on the world (and on history books). When it comes to the prominent figures in history, nothing weaves a better tale than the lessons and discoveries or the people who came before us. Have you ever noticed, though, how a majority of these people are… men?
It’s a fact of our history: most of the kings, presidents and leaders who shaped the world were men. Where are all the women, who were surely running behind the scenes to ensure that world history bore a women’s touch, even without the fame of doing so? Women were there, believe us — only selectively forgotten by most textbooks, news and media outlets. The female wavemakers of the world were out there, doing work just as important as that of any man, and it’s about time they got their well-deserved kudos. Here are 16 of those women.
Ida Lewis — Born in 1842 in Rhode Island, USA
Our first heroine was so prolific, she was not even bound to land as most people are! Ida Lewis was the first female lighthouse keeper that we know of — and she fell into the role incidentally. Ida’s father was the original lighthouse keeper, a title which he held for a total of four months before becoming incapacitated from a stroke. When her father wasn’t able to keep up his duties, Ida stepped in to perform the job. The light that would save many seamen was now manned entirely by a woman!
The ferocity with which Ida performed her duties was legendary. It seemed that there was no wave or storm that she was afraid of — she took her job too seriously to let any needy sailor fall through the cracks. During her tenure as lighthouse keeper, Ida saved 18 people from almost certain drowning. Let it be known that shipwrecks and men overboard don’t happen in clear and calm weather, either! Ida’s heroism most often involved formidable, stormy seas and involved a level of courage that eventually caught the attention of President Grant. The President himself came to visit and thank her for her services, personally! Ida’s funeral, when she eventually passed away, was a well-attended event with more than 1,000 people. To remember Ida, the yacht club in Newport still bears her moniker.
The Trung Sisters — Born before 12 A.D in Vietnam
The Trung Sisters are, by far, the women on this list that lived the longest time ago — but that means nothing when it comes to their power and their impact! Around the 1st century in modern day Vietnam, there lived the Red River Tribe. Their culture was one where men and women lived in general equanimity. Both men and women could hold positions in politics, or become religious leaders if they wished. Women also had the right to be highly educated, to own property and to take multiple spouses, just as men could. Neighboring tribes did not share the Red River culture’s affinity to equal rights — and maybe, that’s why neighboring tribes did not cultivate women quite like the fearsome Trung Sisters.
Around the same time in history, China emperors made the decision to invade the tribes of Vietnam. This was not only for China’s economic gain, due to the collection of taxes, but China also imposed their laws and cultures upon the Vietnamese, effectively eliminating traditions that had existed in Vietnam since the beginning of time. Chinese societal hierarchy effectively replaced the Red River Tribe’s gender equality, and men were once again on top. The people of Vietnam would not take this assault on their culture lying down, though. Instead, they called their most fearsome warriors to arms. Amongst those warriors, were the Trung Sisters. After successfully fending off the Chinese, the two sisters, Trung Trac and Trung Nhj, ruled Vietnam for three years before both dying in battle in 43 AD.
Laskarina Bouboulina — Born in 1771 in Constantinople
Some women choose the life of a revolutionary, but other women are born into it: Laskarina Bouboulina, born into a prison cell in 1771, was one of these women born to revolutionize. She was the daughter of a caption of Hydra Island in Greece, who himself had been imprisoned after his involvement in the failed Greek uprising against the Ottoman Empire. The coup was not without reason: the Ottoman Empire was strong, and ruled over Greece with an iron fist for more than four centuries.
Laskarina eventually moved back to Greece, on the Isle of Spetses, after her father died. There, she married twice and eventually became a widow from her second marriage. It was then that the Ottoman Empire attempted to seize all her lands and fortune, due to her husband being a traitor. Laskarina was not the type of woman to let that happen — instead, this fueled her passion and motivation to free her country and regain their independence.
Instead, she joined up with a secret Greek organization known at the Filiki Etaireia, which worked hard to prepare Greece for a revolution against the Ottoman Empire. Laskarina was one of few women in the Filiki Etaireia, and she was quick to earn a name for herself amongst the organization’s ranks. Laskarina pledged all her wealth and ships to the resistance force.
With her own money, Laskarina supplied the forces with provisions, weapons and ammunition. Then, she formed her own naval fleet and headed a port blockade that eventually captured Peloponnese harbors. Understandably, Laskarina was an overnight phenomenon, due to the role in the eventual liberation of Greece. Ever a woman’s woman, she even freed one of the Ottoman garrison’s harem! Laskarina passed away in 1825, but she was posthumously awarded the title of Naval Commander and was granted a statue on her home, Spetses Island.
Takeko Nakano — Born in 1847 in Japan
A female samurai? Now, that’s something we don’t often hear about! Due to popular culture, the people of today entertain an idea that samurai were male soldiers gone rogue, weirding a katana and a strong sense of honor of behalf of their country. Really, samurai came into being during Japan’s feudal period. They were part of a private military, employed and trained by the reigning Shogun, whose power in Japan rival (and often exceeded) that of the Emperor.
The famed Nakano Takeko was one such warrior. In fact, she fell under an entirely different subset of samurai: the onna-bugeisha, or ‘female warrior.’ Takeko was born into the Aizu clan of Japan and showed immense promise as an intellectual and warrior from a young age. She was adopted by her martial arts instructor and, at the age of 16, was a master at the naginata (a long shafted weapon tipped with a blade, pictured here). When the Emperor sent his armies to conquer the various Shogun territories, Takeko’s skills were truly put to the test.
She fought alongside 18 other women in an army separate from men, where she quickly gained a reputation as a woman with fierce skill and a high kill count. However, it did not matter how skilled the Aizu clan and their fighters were, because the Emperor’s army numbered over 10,000. Since this occurred in the mid 1800’s, the Emperor’s army was outfitted with westernized weapons — rifles that could shoot 15 round a minute and cannons — that simply outweighed anything a skilled samurai could accomplish. In honorable samurai fashion, Takeko and her fellow women warrior would rather die on the battlefield than surrender without a fight.
Takeko and her army were blocked from their rush of the Wakamatsu Castle and continued to charge into battle, into almost certain death, in order to defend the Aizu stronghold. During this battle, Takeko was shot and killed. To recover her honor, even in death, Takeko’s sister was tasked with retrieving her head from the battlefield and burying it in a temple, where it remained honored today but a monument from the Aizu people.
Sojourner Truth — Born in 1797 in New York, USA
Sojourner Truth is a woman so memorable, that she needs two names just to fully encompass her achievements! Born Isabella Baumfree, she had no choice but to be involved in an awful plight: slavery. Isabella was determined not to be a slave forever. With her infant daughter in her arms, she sought to escape the ownership of her master and, in 1826, succeeded in earning her freedom. This decision and subsequent action would create a ripple effect that would thrust women’s right and the abolition of slavery into a new light.
Though Isabella certainly had an impact on the abolitionists and slaves who sought freedom after her, all she had ever wanted was her and her two children’s’ freedom. However, her son was eventually illegally sold back into slavery, to the very plantation his mother had escaped from many years earlier. After all the trials she had faced thus far, what was one more (literally)? She returned to face the plantation where she spent her youth and challenged the owner in the Supreme Court for the return of her child. It was this act that added another notch in Isabella’s belt: she was the first black woman to sue a white man and actually win the case. Again, she was only happy to have her son returned to her.
Isabella changed her name to Sojourner Truth in 1843, after she realized that she had a god-given gift and calling to be a force for civil change. She began to travel and preach about the abolition of slavery, joining the women’s rights movement in the decade of the 1850s. Sojourner gave one of the most famous and impactful speeches ever given on the topic, called “Ain’t I A Woman?” in 1851 at a women’s rights convention in Ohio. Here, she demanded equal rights and treatments for both women and blacks — a topic upon which she would speak time and time again, bringing her to Washington D.C. where she became acquainted with President Abraham Lincoln.
Sojourner and Lincoln were two of a kind, and she was only bolstered by meeting the man who ratified the emancipation proclamation. Emboldened by their meeting, Sojouner became an unstoppable force for social change, challenging well-observed customs like occupying ‘white’ street cars and being critical of fellow abolitionists who, she felt, weren’t doing enough for social progress. Though Sojourner died before getting to see the result of her politic action (the eventual suffrage of women), she was by far one of the most outspoken pioneers during the time preceding the American Civil War.
Milunka Savic — Born in 1888 in Serbia
If the Disney story of Mulan appeals to you, then you should be excited to learn about Milunka Savic. She was born in a remote village in Koprivnica, Serbia — she was one of only twenty people in her entire town — and would rise up to be one of the most decorated female soldiers in the history of warfare. When the year 1912 rolled around, the Balkan War found its footing in Serbia. All able-bodied Serbian men were called to the military front. Of course, Milunka’s brother was called to arms, but Milunka (as a woman) would have only been required to be a nurse.
Milunka had no plans of being a nurse; she was going to go into the Serbian Army in place of her brother. Under her brother’s name, Milun Savic, Milunka defended her country in two Balkan wars. She was quickly promoted to Corporeal from her place amongst the “Iron Regiment,” an infantry unit that found in the Battle of Bregalnica (the largest battle of the war between Belgium and Serbia). Milunka was wounded, which was when the truth of her gender was revealed.
Milunka was brought before her commanding officer, who gave her the opportunity to serve Serbia as a nurse — it simply wasn’t proper for a woman to serve in the infantry. Milunka would have none of that, telling her officer that she would only be a part of the infantry. He told her that he would give her an answer in 24 hours, but after Milunka pledged to stand at attention the entire time, he relented and allowed her back amongst their ranks. She went onto to serve in World War I after serving more than ten tours.
Milunka was decorated win two of the highest honor in the Serbian Kingdom, the Order of the Start of Karadjordje with Swords; but that was only in addition to her two French Legion of Honors, the Russian Order of the Holy George (given for courageous acts), the British Medal of the Order of St. Michael, and France’s Croix de Guerre (of which she was the first female recipient). Milunka sustained nine injuries and made it through the entire length of World War I. When she perish in Belgrade in 1973, she was a national hero.
Marie Curie — Born 1867 in Poland
The name Marie Curie tends to ring a lot of bells, especially amongst the high school chemistry crowd — but this Polish scientist was so much more than what she’s known famous and remember for. Marie was the only person in history, not just the only woman, to win two Nobel Peace Prizes in two different sciences: physics and chemistry. Also, that word “radioactivity?” Marie was the first to invent and to use it.
Marie Curie, though well-known, continues to be somewhat of an unknown figure — who was she, really? Well, for one, Marie Curie was not her true name. She was born as Maria Sklodowski in Warsaw to two teachers, both of whom were well known in the community for their teaching abilities and for having lost most of their property in Poland’s uprising for independence. Despite an initial struggle to get ahead, Marie found work as a governess by the age of 18, eventually earning and saving enough money to move to Paris and pursue her real passion: science. She was one of only two women at the School of Science at the Sorbonne, where life was not made easy for her. She lived off of small meals and wore all the clothes she owned to keep warm — but the experience changed her, and gave her the freedom to go by the name she has today: Marie Curie.
In Paris, during her schooling, Marie met fellow students Pierre Curie. The two would eventually marry, and it’s clear to see why — the two students were just as enamored with each other as they were with science. They loved the ideas they shared and became partners in scientific research to study radioactivity. They narrowed down on the research of the German physicist, Roentgen (sound familiar?) and the French physicist, Becquerel, who had discovered the initial research behind radioactivity. The Curies, together, would soon create their own name in the radioactivity sphere, by discovering polonium and radium.
These discoveries also led Marie to achieve one of the biggest milestones in any scientist’s life: a Nobel prize, this one for physics. She was the first women to ever become a Nobel laureate — and she would not wait for long before winning her second Nobel prize, in chemistry. This created ripples not only in the scientific community, but across the world, as the only person in history to ever win the prize twice. It’s not all about the awards, though: Marie Curie provided critical research that would make a huge impact in the eventual development of x-rays — which would be installed in WWI ambulances and save many, many lives. Madame Curie paid the ultimate price for her dedication to her craft. She developed Leukemia due to her radiation exposure and passed away in 1934, perhaps saving countless people from radiation poisoning as her final act.
Hedy Lamar — Born in 1914 in Austria
Hedy Lamar is the definition of a triple threat, but not in a tradition sense: she is wildly beautiful, a talented actress, and a super intelligent inventor. Her birth name was Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler and began acting early in her career — but she was married at the age of 19 to a war manufacturer for the Nazi party, which was gaining ground fast at that time. Though Hedy would eventually flee from her husband and escape to Paris, what her husband and his involvement in World War II would introduce her to ideas that would shape her life.
Hedy first learned about military and radio technologies from the parties she would attend with her husband (which were also attended by fascist leaders like Hitler and Mousillini), and she was fascinated. After her marriage to her husband became, unsurprisingly, ‘unbearable,’ she disguised herself as a maid and moved to Paris to continue her acting career, and then in America to work for Metro Goldwyn-Mayer. As the beautiful woman she was, Hedy was often typecast at the glamorous role, but she often shocked people with the level of professionalism she acted with.
Hedy would only continue to move onwards and upwards — and in more ways than just on the silver screen. During her tenure in America, she became a Hollywood staple and fell into the same crowd as George Antheil, famed Hollywood composer and ex-munitions inspector for the USA. The two, having similar interests, talked in depth about military technologies like torpedo radio transmissions. Their conversations stimulated her intellect and eventually led her to a realization: that it was possible to sync the frequency patterns amongst various transmitters and receivers. If this goes right over your head, just know that this discovery was groundbreaking!
Hedy, daughter of a Jewish father and married to a Nazi supporter, has successfully figured out how to alter the radio frequent of a transmission between two parties in a way that was clandestine to a secret third-party listener — also known as ‘frequency hopping’ or ‘secret communication systems.’ After it was patented, the idea that underlay this invention would grow and spread, inspiring subsequent inventors to develop ‘spread-spectrum technology’ and, eventually, wi-fi, bluetooth, gps, and many other wireless technologies that shaped society today.
Vilma Espin — Born in 1930 in Cuba
Vilma Espin is a woman worth remembering — and she was with us only until very recently. Vilma, a daughter of a wealthy Cuban family, was a Cuban revolutionary who graduated as a chemical engineering student from MIT. If that’s not enough for you, she also was married to the Prime Minister of Cuba, Raul Castro, making her the Republic of Cuba’s Prime Minister.
The future leader of the Cuban Revolution was born in Santiago, Cuba in 1930. She met with Frank Pais, a leader in the Revolution, and she became involved with the movement right away. The armed uprising that she was apart of would eventually overthrow Fulgencio Batista in the year of 1956. Moving onto the Sierra Maestra mountains afterwards, Vilma became acquainted with Raul Castro (he has a more commonly known brother, Fidel). During her time as Castro’s wife, and as a follower of the revolution, she worked under the pseudonym Deborah. Deborah, or Vilma, changed the course for Cuban history.
It wasn’t long before Batista was overthrown, and the Castro brothers moved in on Cuba’s rule. Vilma found the title of ‘informal first lady’ fitting, and went way past proving her worth, and was soon promoted to the Central Committee of the Communist Party. You have to be a certain type of person to assume this role, and to do it well. Thankfully, Vilma had the intense personality and smarts to fit perfectly.
Our girl Vilma didn’t stop there. She founded the Cuban Federation of Women from its inception and growth, into a real driver for change in women’s rights. They rebranded into the National Organization for women, and through marriage. because the official first lady in 2006. when Raul assumed power. Vilma passed away a year later, in 2007.
Irena Sendler — Born in 1910 in Poland
Nowadays, when we look back at World War II, there are some clear ethical areas that were relatively black and white; but back in 1939, things were not so clear-cut. When the second world war began making its way across Europe, Nazi rule spread quickly. Anyone not of the Aryan race were ruthlessly rounded and imprisoned. These walled off sections of towns, called ghettos, were subject to great famine and squalor. The ghettos in Poland was the last point in history before the Nazi-run concentration camps became a reality. Poland, unfortunately, was to witness Nazi Germany in its full force.
Irena Sendler, blessed be her, decided to fight back — she condemned the systematic sterilization of the non-Aryan people. Irena, with her experience as a social worker and her charismatic nature, rallied a small group of other Polish women to fight back. They entered the ghettos after it was sealed off under the guise of checking the ghetto for typhus, and then began to carry out people (mostly Jewish women and children) by any means necessary: potato sacks, trash bags, ambulances and sewers. There was huge risk involved with such an action for these women.
Every time Irena or her poses entered the ghetto, they were putting themselves at enormous risk — not only their certain death, but that of their families and extended networks, too. To stay safe and save more lives, they buried lists of names with children’s names in jars underground, so that they might be reunited with their parents after Germany’s fall. She took an extended risk over and beyond just helping these victims escape by also providing them with falsified papers like birth certificates and identification cards. This way, the children could be admitted to orphanages and safe houses when they were in a better location. The children were all taught Catholic prayers, in case they were stopped and interrogated by German Nazis. There was nothing that Irena didn’t account for.
On October 20, 1943, the worst happened — Irena was arrested by the gestapo, or German soldiers, then beaten and tortured. They wanted the names of her accomplices, but Irena refused to betray her fellow smugglers. She faced execution, but Irena held her head high — and, possibly because of this resolve to do the right thing, was allowed to escape custody due to bribes being given to her escorts. The number of children who owe their lives to Irena? 2,500. She passed away at the ripe age of 83 in 2008.
Frida Khalo — Born in 1907 in Mexico
Most people can hear Frida Kahlo’s name and are able to name off what she’s most famous for: her paintings. People who know a lot about Frida Kahlo might be able to tell you that she painted many portraits and a surreal type of Mexican folk art — but does anyone know the read Frida, beyond what’s plastered on tote bags and tee-shirts?
Frida was many things, and one thing she encourage viewers of her art to explore the gender, class and race dichotomies of Mexico’s post-colonialism age. She considered herself a biracial feminist and revolutionary even before the streetcar accident that would leave her body permanently damaged (and unable to walk for three months), but after she became bedbound, she explored these ideas through her childhood love of painting. She had a special easel made that could be used in a hospital bed.
Like all great love stories, Kahlo’s began once she joined a political group — the Mexican Communist Party. There she met another Mexican artist, Diego Rivera, and together the two of them became figureheads for the Mexican revolution. Together, and with their art, they blazed the trail towards revolutions.
After her premature death (due to perpetually declining health), Frida began to accrue posthumous fame for her surrealist art. She began to be truly recognized for her feminism and political stances, and how fiercely she depicted Mexican Nationalism to be different than American Commercialism — in a way that was both celebratory and mocking. she was relatively unknown until around the 1970’s, when her work experienced a revival and people celebrated her for her art, passion and feminism.
Gloria Steinem — Born in 1934 in Ohio, USA
Gloria Steinem is more of a household name than most others on this list; but it almost feels like that does a disservice to the woman who dedicated her life to feminism in countless ways. She was an advocate for feminism and political change, but who was she really? Gloria the feminist was also the caretaker of her disabled mother, whose mental health had rapidly deteriorated, which could be considered a full time job. This responsibility did not deter Gloria from pursuing her dream, instead pushing her down her path.
Smith College was Gloria’s goal, much to the shock of women and society of the time. She wanted to study government, which was something women at the time just didn’t do. Conventional, respectable women customarily got married around this time and began their journey into motherhood — but this life just wasn’t for Gloria. In fact, she was drawn very much to the unconventional. Why? “In the 1950s, once you married you became what your husband was … I’d already been the very small parent of a very big child — my mother. I didn’t want to end up taking care of someone else,” Gloria explained to People Magazine.
Gloria studied government in school, but went on to complete a fellowship in India to become a freelance writer. It was this decision that lead to the deed that Gloria is most well-known for: the research, writing and publishing of an expose on New York City’s Playboy Club. In order to gain first-hand perspective for her article, Gloria became employed as a Playboy Bunny waitress at the establishment — she was then able to give account of the misogynistic world that occupied the club. This article became the topic of conversation in many social circles.
Though definitely a highlight of her career, it certainly wasn’t Gloria’s only one. She played a large hand in the establishment of New York and Ms. Magazines, and eventually penned a book, Revolution From Within: A Book of Self-Esteem, to instruct women on the art and power of inner-strength. Because of Gloria, the role of women was seen in a new light and elevated women across the world. Perviously inappropriate topics, such as abuse and independence, began to be talked about more freely. If you are a woman and you find it possible to live apart from a man, you have Gloria Steinem (in part) to thank!
Aung San Suu Kyi — Born in 1945 in Burma/Myanmar
Myanmar, at one time, was called Burma — and Burma was often embroiled in trouble. Thankfully, Myanmar had Aung San Suu Kyi there to fight for the people. She was born the daughter of the ex-Prime Minister, which instilled her with a strong background in politics and even stronger philosophies in the areas of politics and economics. She was educated on these subjects at Oxford University and eventually returned back to Myanmar. What Suu Kyi saw upon her return shook her to her core, and then moved her to action.
Myanmar has long since been the subject of much political and socioeconomic struggle, but in 1962, things took a turn for the worse. The country fell under the unintended run of a military-general-turned-dictator, U Ne Win, who began to institute the “Burmese Way to Socialism.” As many mismanaged socialist programs do, this came at the expense of the Burmese people. National social programs replace all private enterprise, and independent newspapers and media were essentially eradicated.
Things only went from bad to worse under U Ne Win’s rule. In 1987, the country’s economy collapsed and set off a series of anti-government riots in the streets. This was Suu Kyi’s chance, and she took it: she became a strong, outspoken advocate for democracy and human rights. She was strong-willed and did not allow herself to be silenced. Due to her opposing views, Suu Kyi was placed on home arrest in 1989.
She was sentenced to 21 years, but was released only after 15 years — only to be imprisoned again, and several other times afterwards, but not even prison could stop Suu Kyi’s story. She won her Nobel Peace Prize behind bars! After her eventual release, Suu Kyi decided to run to parliament, a decision about which the people had strong opinions: they voted her in, believed in her, and Suu Kyi won the election. Every day, Suu Kyi moves Myanmar’s society in the direction of social progress and change, without letting the daily violence and internal struggles get in her way.
Jane Goodall — Born in 1934 in London, England
The name Jane Goodall provokes an endearing (and enduring) mental image of a woman in Africa, sitting amongst the wilderness with her beloved primates. She’s the driving force behind our modern understanding of chimpanzees and other primates and considered to be the ‘wild child of Tanzania.’ Jane not only has the passion needed to be an animal rights activist, but also the curiosity to drive scientific pursuit, which have pushed the limits of our understanding of humankind.
As a child, Jane had always nurtured an intense interest in animal behavior. She participated in a trip to the Gombe Stream Game Reserve, which led her to attending Newham College to expand on such pursuits. So talented in this area was Jane that she even earned a Ph.D without first earning her Bachelor’s degree! Though the events leading up to her time in college (as well as her successes in guided learning) are certainly impressive, it was her learnings after college that would capture the world’s attention.
An intensive study in Tanzania followed college, which prompted Jane to write her first book which was titled ‘In The Shadow Of Man,’ which outlines her field study of chimpanzees and gave real-life portrayals of the primates and their many human-like qualities. In this book, she raised ethical questions about the involvement of chimps in scientific experience, lab testing and entertainment. If they were so similar to us, why should they have to suffer? In later books, she would expand upon these theories by detailing concerns surrounding the physical and mental sufferings of primates.
During her life, Jane’s studies (and her dedication to her studies) were distinguished by a myriad of awards and recognitions, like the Order of the Golden Ark (a World Wildlife Conversation award) and the UNESCO Gold Medal Award. At this point, Jane Goodall has become far more than the animal behaviorist that she set out to be. She is a force to be reckoned with in the gray area between humans and animals (or really, humans and nature), often speaking for the side of which lacks an audible voice.
Maya Angelou — Born in 1928 in Missouri, USA
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings has long-since been recognized for Maya’s poetry and storytelling abilities — and not only that, but also for lifting the veil of hidden abuse, loss, discrimination and racism. With her voice, Maya successfully embraced femininity, long and strength and carried the wants and desires of several generations, resonating with all who felt silenced.
Maya Angelou was a woman of many talents, of which being a writer is only one. Maya was a cook, a waitress, an actress, director, playwright and newspaper editor — in Egypt! She was also the first black woman to become an accredited member of the infamous Directors Guild of America — and on the other end of the spectrum, she had also passed many years working as a trolly conductor.
Her colorful life provided Maya with plenty of material for her poems and books; and most people could agree, her life was extraordinary — and not always beautiful. In fact, she found her voice by writing about her childhood trauma, and how it affected her to that day.
However, after she began publishing her works, Maya began to receive well-esteemed literary awards: the Langston Hughes award became hers, as did the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Maya did not stay faithful to only one medium, either; she also dabbled in the spoken word, her efforts in which yielded several Grammies. She’s only one of two poets to be asked to write a poem for a presidential inauguration (for former president Bill Clinton. The other poet was Robert Frost). Maya is still publishing books today. “People will never forget how you made them feel.” — Maya Angelou
Malala Yousafzai — Born 1997 in Pakistan
Women’s education matters a lot, especially in places where it is extremely non-conventional to receive an education. Widely known by just her first name, Malala is a true advocate for women’s education in the Middle East, but affects societies worldwide. She is young but is already known for her book, titled ‘I am Malalaa: The Girl Who Stood Up For Education And Was Shot By The Taliban. With a title like that, it’s no surprise that Malala is the youngest winner to be awarded a Nobel Peace Prize.
Malala, born in Pakistan, has already survived many things that most people across the world would agree: they are astonishing, yet resonate with so many. Despite her trials and tribulations, Malala has never lost her faith in her country or hope for a better world. With her young age, her experience and her voice, Malala quickly became the voice of her generation. She spoke to women around the world, of all ages and all ethnicities who struggled under corrupt rule that aimed to keep them silenced.
Her interest in women’s rights began with the experiences of her parents. They vehemently opposed the takeover of the Pakistani people by the Taliban, and the politically-charged nature of her upbringing would later frame how she would face upcoming issues. With her computer, Malala began documenting her experiences in a blog for the BBC. The Taliban ruled with an iron fist and denied her access to education, so she had a lot to say. In order to remain safe, she wrote under a pen name.
In 2011, the still-anonymous Malala’s platform grew, and people started to really take notice. She was a nominee for a Children’s Peace Prize in the year of 2011, which possibly did more harm than good. Malala’s identity was revealed and publicized, and the Taliban sought their revenge. She was only 15 and was aboard a bus, heading towards school when a Taliban solider stormed the bus and shot her in the head at close range. Amazingly, Malala survived the shooting, and used her anger to fuel her advocacy even more. Only two years later, she was awarded with a Nobel Peace Prize and given access to an education at Oxford University. Today, she studies politics, economics and government while continuing to push to human rights and seek the action of political leaders.
