10 Women Who Changed the World

10 Women Who Changed the World

March is National Women’s History Month in the United States. The month-long observance celebrating the achievements of women was formally designated in 1987. To kick off the observance of Women’s History Month, we turned to Kathleen Kuiper, Britannica’s senior editor for Arts & Culture, editor of The 100 Most Influential Women of All Time (2010), and lead editor of Britannica’s spotlight on 300 Women Who Changed the World, who picked 10 of her personal favorites and heroes. Who are some of yours?

*Cleopatra, who not only literally changed the world but inspired the Bard to great heights.
*Christina, who found that politics and art don’t mix well and chose art, bless her.
*Emily Dickinson, whose quirkiness and intensity gave us a poet for the ages.
*Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, a scholar who refused to be put in her place.
*Marilyn Monroe, a sexy and funny icon of an era who ultimately collapsed under the weight of other people’s fantasies.
*Umm Kulthum, whose powerful voice captured the soul of the Arab-speaking world.
*Aung San Suu Kyi, who stood—and stands—up to a brutal military government and is an inspiration to people around the world.
*Ada King, countess of Lovelace, who is considered the first computer programmer. How felicitous that this mathematician married a count!
*Mira Bai, whose devotional poetry continues to resound centuries after her lifetime.
*Ella Fitzgerald, whose clear tone and impeccable sense of style delivered American jazz and popular music to the world.