Top 10 Greatest Women of All Time

Throughout history, certain women have risen to incredible heights, inspiring change, challenging the status quo, and leaving unforgettable contributions in fields as diverse as science, civil rights, music, and medicine.

From legendary figures of ancient times to trailblazers of the modern era, these women have not only made headlines but have shaped our world in lasting ways.

Whether it is a courageous leader who stood up for justice, a scientist whose discoveries continue to save lives, or an artist who touched hearts across generations, each of these women has left a powerful legacy.

The Top Ten

Rosa Parks

Rosa Louise McCauley Parks (February 4, 1913 - October 24, 2005) was an African American civil rights activist. She became a symbol of resistance to racial segregation after refusing to give up her bus seat to a white passenger in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1955. The United States Congress referred to her... read more

Famously refused to give up her seat on a bus during a time of racial segregation to promote Black rights.
Marie Curie

Marie Skłodowska Curie (November 7, 1867 - July 4, 1934) was a Polish born naturalized French physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. She shared the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics with Pierre Curie and Henri Becquerel, and won the 1911 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for her discovery... read more

Her discovery of radioactivity led to successful treatments for cancer.
Joan of Arc

Joan of Arc, nicknamed "The Maid of Orléans," is considered a heroine of France for her role in the final phase of the Hundred Years' War. She claimed visions of saints including St. Michael the Archangel, St. Catherine of Alexandria, and St. Margaret of Antioch, who urged her to lead French forces against... read more

Was highly influential in saving France from the onslaught of conquering British soldiers.
Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa (26 August 1910 - 5 September 1997), also known as Saint Teresa of Calcutta, was an Albanian-Indian Roman Catholic nun and missionary. Although her passport name was Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu, she was born Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu in Üsküb, now Skopje, capital of North Macedonia. After living... read more

She was a great woman who cared deeply for those in need.

Helped the less fortunate and destitute in the streets of Calcutta, answering Christ's call "to be His light."

A Roman Catholic nun.
Cleopatra

Cleopatra VII Philopator, known to history simply as Cleopatra, was the last active pharaoh of Ptolemaic Egypt. She ruled from 51 to 30 BCE and was known for her political acumen and alliances with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. After her death, Egypt became a province of the Roman Empire.
K. S. Chithra

Krishnan Nair Shantakumari Chithra, often credited as K. S. Chithra or simply Chithra, is an Indian playback singer from Kerala. She also sings Indian classical, devotional, and popular music. Chithra has recorded over 25,000 songs in various languages and is a recipient of six National Film Awards.

K.S. Chithra loves her fans, supports charities, and visits her supporters.
Emmeline Pankhurst

Emmeline Pankhurst (née Goulden. 15 July 1858-14 June 1928) was a British political activist who organized the British suffragette movement and helped women win the right to vote in Great Britain and Ireland in 1918.
In 1999, Time named her one of the 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century... read more

Campaigned for women's right to vote in the UK in the early 1900s.
Florence Nightingale

Florence Nightingale (born May 12, 1820 - died August 13, 1910) was an English social reformer, statistician, and the founder of modern nursing. She came to prominence while serving as a manager and trainer of nurses during the Crimean War, where she organized care for wounded soldiers in Constantinople... read more

Became known as the Lady with the Lamp. She revolutionized medicine during the Crimean War, making wartime hospitals much cleaner and safer.

A nurse who played a tremendous role in caring for the sick during the Crimean War.
Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman was an American abolitionist and political activist who was born into slavery. After escaping, she made approximately 13 missions to rescue about 70 enslaved individuals, including friends and family members. She used the Underground Railroad, a secret network of safe houses and antislavery... read more
Mary, mother of Jesus

Her simple "yes" to God brought salvation to the entire world.

Jesus' mother.

The Newcomers

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Irena Sendler
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Agnes of Rome

The Contenders

Elizabeth I of England

Elizabeth I (September 7, 1533 - March 24, 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from November 17, 1558, until her death. Her reign, known as the Elizabethan Era, is noted for the English Renaissance, the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, and the early growth of English colonial expansion.
Queen Victoria

Queen Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria. May 24, 1819 - January 22, 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from June 20, 1837, until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and seven months, known as the Victorian era, was marked by industrial, political, scientific, and military... read more
Eleanor Roosevelt

Anna Eleanor Roosevelt (October 11, 1884 - November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the longest-serving First Lady of the United States, holding the position during her husband Franklin D. Roosevelt's four terms as president from 1933 to 1945. She later served... read more
Susan B. Anthony

Susan Brownell Anthony was an American social reformer and women's rights activist who played a pivotal role in the women's suffrage movement. She was a key figure in the campaign to secure voting rights for women in the United States. Anthony co-founded the National Woman Suffrage Association in 1869... read more
Catherine II

Catherine II, born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst on May 2, 1729, is most commonly known as Catherine the Great. She reigned as the Empress of Russia from 1762 until her death on November 17, 1796. Catherine came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter III.
Jane Austen

Jane Austen was an English novelist known principally for her six major novels, which interpret, critique, and comment upon the life of the British landed gentry at the end of the 18th century.
Her most famous works include Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, and Emma. Austen's novels... read more

A famous writer who wrote novels from the late 1700s through the early 1800s.
Amelia Earhart

Amelia Mary Earhart was an American aviation pioneer and author. She was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. For this achievement, she received the United States Distinguished Flying Cross.

Became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. She went missing during her attempt to fly around the world in 1937.
Augusta Ada Lovelace

A talented mathematician considered to be the first computer programmer.
Angelina Jolie

Angelina Jolie is an American actress, filmmaker, and humanitarian. She has received an Academy Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards and was frequently cited as one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood through much of the 2000s and 2010s. Jolie's career includes... read more
Simone de Beauvoir
Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe (born Norma Jeane Mortenson, June 1, 1926 - August 5, 1962) was an American actress, singer, and model. Decades after her unexpected death, she has remained one of Hollywood's greatest sex symbols with her eye-catching style, champagne blonde hair, and breathless manner of speaking. She... read more
Eva Perón

María Eva Duarte de Perón was the second wife of Argentine President Juan Perón and served as the First Lady of Argentina from 1946 until her death in 1952. She is usually referred to as Eva Perón, or by the affectionate Spanish diminutive Evita.... read more
Lata Mangeshkar

Lata Mangeshkar was an Indian playback singer and music director. She was one of the best-known and most respected playback singers in India. Over a career spanning more than seven decades, she recorded songs in over thirty Indian languages and received numerous awards, including the Bharat Ratna.
Princess Diana

Diana, Princess of Wales (born Lady Diana Frances Spencer. July 1, 1961 - August 31, 1997), was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, the eldest child of Queen Elizabeth II. She was the mother of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex.... read more
Pocahontas