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19 February 2021
In the last 150 years, women have changed drastically. They know their worth and know what is right for them. Women today can be just about anything they set their minds to.
Here are 10 trailblazing women who broke down barriers and created history.
Rukmani Devi Arundale, best known for the re-establishment of Indian arts and crafts. Born on 29 February 1904, she was the first lady in Indian history to be nominated a member of the Rajya Sabha. She was an Indian theosophist, dancer, and choreographer of the Indian classical dance form of Bharatanatyam, and an activist for animal welfare. She was offered being nominated for the post of President of India by Morarji Desai, which she turned down. She was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1956. She was a beautiful and opinionated woman. She always knew what is best for her and chose her path.
Tennis star, Suzzane Lenglen was most popular in the 1920s. She was the youngest major tennis champion in history. With her elegant style of play, she dominated women’s tennis from 1919 to 1926. It was her father who saw her ability and convinced her to pursue her career in tennis. They both admired tennis. Suzzane played with a simple technique. She inspired a lot of women to pursue their careers in sports.
Turkish Archaeologist, Halet Cambel was the first Muslim woman to compete in the Olympic games. She completed her graduation in archaeology in 1916 and received her doctorate in 1940. She was a member of the german archaeology institute. She played a key role in understanding Hittite hieroglyphics by discovering a tablet with the Phoenician alphabet, which allowed philologists to decipher inscriptions. Cambel received the Culture and Arts Grand Award from President Abdullah Gül in 2011.
Miriam Makeba, known as Mama Afrika, is a South African singer, songwriter, actress, and civil rights activist. She was one of the world’s prominent Black African performers in the 20th century. Born on March 14, 1932, Mariam began her music career singing for her cousin’s band. She gained recognition in 1954 when she started singing for Manhattan’s Brother. She was the first black woman to have a Top-Ten worldwide hit with Pata Pata in 1967. She won a Grammy award in 1965. Mariam wrote in her biography "I kept my culture. I kept the music of my roots. Through my music, I became this voice and image of Africa and the people without even realizing".
Born on December 10, 1815, Ada King, countess of Lovelace was a mathematician and programmer. She is considered to be the first woman to write the world’s first algorithm. She is the first computer programmer. The programming language Ada is named after her. The second Tuesday in October has been recognized as Ada Lovelace Day. On this day, the contributions of women to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics are honoured with awards and recognitions. She is also known as “Enchantress of Numbers” and “Lady fairy”.
Magdalena Frida Kahlo was a Mexican painter. Her works were mostly inspired by nature and artifacts of Mexico. She is best known for her portraits and self-portraits. she employed a naive folk art style to explore questions of identity, post-colonialism, gender, class, and race in Mexican society. She is often identified as a surrealist. Her uncompromising and brilliantly colored self-portrait amazed everybody. Kahlo’s father was a photographer. She frequently assisted her father in the studio where she acquired sharp eyes for details. When she was young she suffered from polio, but she never brought it as an excuse and worked harder.
B.Anthony was an American activist who was a pioneer crusader for the women’s suffrage movement in the United States and was president (1892–1900) of the National Woman Suffrage Association. Her work helped giving women the right to vote. She also taught at a women’s academy from 1846 to 1849 in upstate New York. in the 1890s Susan outlived the efforts which she made for women’s better conditioning and emerged as the national heroine. She devoted her life to the cause of women’s equality.
Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman elected to the United States Congress, widely known for making history turn in 1972. She was an American politician, educator, and author. She was born on 30th November 1924. Then, Shirley began her professional career as a teacher. Chisholm was always a vocal opponent. She never feared keeping her points on the desk. She single-handedly used to dominate her opponents. She was a strong woman with a strong desire. She is the author of two books, Unbought and Unbossed (1970) and The Good Fight (1973).
Malala is the youngest Nobel prize winner. She is an activist from Pakistan. She works for female education and she is known for human rights advocacy. She gained global attention when she survived an assassination attack at the age of 15. In 2014 she was honored with the Nobel peace prize for her effort on children’s rights. She fought with the nation for girl’s education rights. Just at the age of 12, she appeared on television for an interview on BBC and soon she began BBC’s youngest blogger. Being the daughter of an outspoken social activist and educator, she was confident and fierceful. Her father inspired her to always stand up for her rights and stand against the wrong.
Marie Curie, best known for her work on radioactive, was a naturalized French physicist and chemist. Curie herself coined the word “radioactive” to explain the phenomena. She became the first lady to claim Nobel Prize twice. First, she received her Nobel prize in physics and then in chemistry. Marie's efforts led to the discovery of polonium and radium and, after Pierre's death (Marie’s husband), the further development of X-rays. Curie was born on November 7, 1867, the youngest of five children. Both of her parents were teachers. She was a brilliant student and excelled in school. She was curious about science. Mostly she spends her time reading physics, chemistry, and maths. Marie Curie died on July 4, 1934. She dies cause of aplastic anaemia that was believed to be caused by prolonged exposure to radiation.
They are the surprising women from history who paved the road to equal pave. When opportunities arose or perspectives shifted, women have risen to the occasion time and time again. And when opportunities haven’t arisen, women have worked to shift circumstances and systems themselves. It has been beautifully quoted “she believed, she did, she conquered and she became a heroine of her life.”
