For young readers
Abridged biographies
80 stories rewritten at a 3rd–4th grade reading level.
Emma Abbott
Arts- Emma Abbott grew up singing music and became a famous opera singer who performed in London and across America.
- She started her own opera company in 1878, making her the first woman in the U.S. to do this, and she sang operas in English so more people could enjoy them.
1850–1891
Paula Ackerman
Activism- Paula Ackerman grew up in Florida, worked hard as a teacher, and married a rabbi named William Ackerman.
- After her husband died in 1950, Paula became the leader of their synagogue in Mississippi, doing all the jobs of a rabbi even though she didn't have that title.
1893–1989
Abigail Adams
Politics · Activism- Abigail Adams married John Adams and became First Lady. She was also the first First Lady to live in the White House.
- She wrote many letters asking for women's rights, education for kids, and an end to slavery.
1744–1818
Virginia Apgar
Medicine · Science- Virginia Apgar broke barriers as a woman doctor and became a leader in anesthesiology at Columbia University.
- In 1952, she invented the Apgar Score, a quick test that checks if a newborn baby is healthy.
1909–1974
Ruth Asawa
Arts- Ruth Asawa grew up on a farm, was unfairly sent to prison camps during World War II, and later became a famous artist using looped wire to make beautiful, see-through sculptures.
- She moved to San Francisco, made many public fountains, and became known as the city's 'fountain lady.'
1926–2013
Barbara S. Askins
Science- Barbara Askins was a chemist who went back to college after raising her kids, then got a job at NASA in 1975.
- She invented a way to make blurry space and Earth photos much clearer by using a special radioactive process on the silver in the picture.
1939
Athyrta
Science- Athyrta may have been an Egyptian princess who studied stars almost 4,000 years ago, but no proof shows she was truly real.
- Stories say she used star charts and knowledge of the sky to guess the future, mixing science with fortune-telling.
0
Mabel Lucie Attwell
Arts · Literature- Mabel Lucie Attwell was a British artist who drew cute, chubby, big-eyed children that became known as 'Attwell children.'
- She illustrated famous books like Peter Pan and Wendy, made a popular yearly annual, and put her drawings on postcards, plates, and even advertisements.
1879–1964
Emily Greene Balch
Activism · Politics · Science- Emily Greene Balch was a teacher and reformer who cared about workers, immigrants, and peace.
- She helped start a peace group called WILPF and lost her teaching job for speaking out against war.
1867–1961
Djuna Barnes
Literature · Arts- Djuna Barnes grew up in an artistic family and became a writer and journalist in New York City.
- She moved to Paris and became friends with famous writers, later writing her most famous book, Nightwood, in 1936.
1892–1982
Catia Bastioli
Science- Catia Bastioli studied chemistry and business, then used both skills to help create plastics made from plants instead of oil.
- She led a company called Novamont, invented many new bioplastics, and won a major award called European Inventor of the Year in 2007.
1957
Ann Baumgartner
Aviation · Literature · Science- Ann loved flying and met famous pilot Amelia Earhart as a child.
- During World War II, she became a pilot in a group called WASPs.
1918–2008
Doris Blackburn
Politics · Activism- Doris Blackburn grew up caring about fairness and became a teacher before working to help women, children, and peace causes.
- In 1946, she became the first woman from Victoria elected to Australia's parliament, where she fought for better schools, Aboriginal rights, and equal treatment for men and women.
1889–1970
Betty Boothroyd
Politics- Betty Boothroyd grew up in a mill town and worked many jobs, including dancing, before becoming a politician.
- In 1992, she became the first woman ever to be Speaker of the House of Commons, a very important job in British government.
1929–2023
Lucy Brewer
Literature · Activism- Lucy Brewer was a made-up character from an old story, not a real person, even though many people once thought she was real.
- The story said she dressed as a man and fought bravely as a Marine on a famous ship during the War of 1812, but historians found no proof this ever happened.
0
Emily Brontee
Literature- Emily Brontë grew up near wild moors in England and loved reading and writing stories with her brother and sisters.
- She wrote poems and one famous book called Wuthering Heights, using the pretend name Ellis Bell because people didn't expect women to write serious books.
1818–1848
Mary Brunkow
Science · Medicine- Mary Brunkow discovered a special gene called FOXP3 that helps control how our immune system protects the body without attacking itself.
- She studied at the University of Washington and Princeton, then worked with scientist Fred Ramsdell to make important discoveries about sick mice and humans.
1961
Pearl S. Buck
Literature · Activism · Arts- Pearl S. Buck grew up in China and became famous for writing The Good Earth, which won a Pulitzer Prize, and later she won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1938.
- She used her fame to help others, working to change unfair immigration laws and starting Welcome House to help children find loving families.
1892–1973
Angel Burdett-Coutts
Activism · Politics- Angela Burdett-Coutts inherited a huge fortune in 1837 and used most of it to help poor, sick, and struggling people.
- She worked with Charles Dickens to help women in trouble, built clean homes for poor families, funded schools and churches, and cared for animals.
1814–1906
Selma Burke
Arts · Activism- Selma Burke was a Black sculptor who grew up in North Carolina and became a nurse before turning to art in New York.
- She won a contest to sculpt President Roosevelt, and many people think her artwork inspired the picture on the Roosevelt dime.
1900–1995
Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace (née Byron)
Science · Literature- Ada Lovelace grew up loving math and became close friends with inventor Charles Babbage, who built early calculating machines.
- Ada wrote detailed notes and a step-by-step plan for a machine, which many people call the first computer program ever written.
1815–1852
Ada Cambridge
Literature · Arts- Ada Cambridge moved from England to Australia after she got married, and she used her new life there to write poems and stories.
- She wrote almost 25 novels about brave women who wanted more freedom, even though her own life had some hard times.
1844–1926
Mary E. Clarke
Politics- Mary Clarke joined the Women's Army Corps in 1945 and worked her way up through many tough Army jobs, including serving in Berlin and Tokyo.
- In 1978, she became the first woman ever to be a major general and the first woman to lead a big Army base.
1924–2011
Josephine Cochrane
Science- Josephine Cochrane invented a dishwashing machine that used water jets instead of scrubbing, so dishes stayed safe and clean.
- She got a patent for her invention in 1886 and started a company to sell her machines to hotels and restaurants.
1839–1913
Ève Curie
Literature · Activism- Ève Curie loved music and writing, even though her family was famous for science.
- She wrote a popular book about her mom and covered stories during World War II.
1904–2007
Grazia Deledda
Literature- Grazia Deledda grew up in a strict small town in Sardinia but taught herself to read and write stories, even when others disapproved.
- She became a famous writer, moved to Rome, and wrote many books about life in Sardinia, including Elias Portolu and Cenere.
1871–1936
Emily Dickinson
Literature- Emily Dickinson grew up in Amherst, Massachusetts, and loved reading and writing poems, even though she stayed home most of her life.
- She wrote almost 1,800 poems, but only a few were printed while she was alive. Most were found after she died by her sister.
1830–1886
Dorothy Catherine Draper
Science- Dorothy Catherine Draper sat for one of the very first photographs ever taken in America, made by her brother John in 1839 or 1840.
- She was a smart woman who studied science and art, and she helped her brother with his science work for many years.
1807–1901
Moira Dunbar
Science · Exploration- Moira Dunbar went from being a stage actress to becoming a famous Arctic scientist who studied sea ice in Canada.
- She broke barriers by becoming the first woman to do science on Canadian icebreakers and one of the first women to fly over the North Pole.
1918–1999
Gertrude Elion
Science · Medicine- Gertrude Elion was a scientist who created important medicines, even though it was hard for women to become scientists back then.
- She helped invent medicines for cancer, organ transplants, and viruses like herpes, and her ideas also helped create a medicine for AIDS.
1918–1999
Aelia Eudoxia
Politics- Aelia Eudoxia married the young emperor Arcadius in 395 and became a powerful empress in the Eastern Roman Empire.
- She used her power to influence politics, including helping remove a rival named Eutropius, and she supported churches and religious leaders.
0–404
Maggie Gee
Aviation · Activism- Maggie Gee became one of the few Asian American women to fly planes for the military during World War II, even though some people treated her unfairly.
- She did brave and important jobs as a pilot, like testing planes and helping with training, and in 2010 she finally got a big award called the Congressional Gold Medal.
1923–2013
Emma Goldman
Activism · Politics · Literature- Emma Goldman grew up poor and moved to the U.S. as a teenager, where she became a famous speaker and writer who believed people should be free from unfair rulers and bosses.
- She was arrested many times for speaking out, including for helping hungry workers and sharing information about birth control, and was eventually sent away from the U.S. in 1919.
1869–1940
Amna Al Haddad
Sports · Activism- Amna Al Haddad went from being a journalist to becoming one of the first Emirati women to compete in Olympic weightlifting, all while wearing a hijab.
- She helped Nike create the Nike Pro Hijab, a special piece of sports gear for Muslim women athletes.
1989
Fannie Lou Hamer
Activism · Politics- Fannie was born into a big, poor family and started working young.
- Even when she lost her job and home, she didn't stop fighting for voting rights.
1917–1977
Becky Hammon
Sports- Becky Hammon was a star college and WNBA player who later became a groundbreaking NBA and WNBA coach.
- She was the first woman to be a full-time NBA assistant coach and the first to act as head coach during an NBA game.
1977
Carolyn Haywood
Arts · Literature- Carolyn Haywood was a writer and artist who wrote over forty books for kids, including the famous Betsy and Eddie series.
- She went to art school and first worked drawing pictures for magazines before she started writing her own stories.
1898–1990
Beulah Louise Henry
Science- Beulah Louise Henry was a woman who invented amazing things by picturing them in her mind, even though she never studied engineering.
- She invented many things, like a snap-on parasol, a typewriter copier called the Protograph, a special doll, and a sewing machine that didn't need a bobbin.
1887–1973
Erna Schneider Hoover
Science- Erna Schneider Hoover studied hard and became a scientist, even though it was tough for women to do that back then.
- She invented a smart computer program that stopped phone systems from getting too crowded, and she got a special patent for it in 1971.
1926
Julia Ward Howe
Literature · Activism · Politics- Julia Ward Howe was a writer who wrote 'The Battle Hymn of the Republic,' a famous song from the Civil War.
- She worked hard for women's right to vote and asked mothers everywhere to work for peace.
1819–1910
Martha Brookes Hutcheson
Arts- Martha Brookes Hutcheson loved nature and studied hard to become a garden designer, even though few women did this job back then.
- She designed beautiful and useful gardens, including a famous project now called Bamboo Brook Outdoor Education Center.
1871–1959
Catherine II
Politics- Catherine started as a small-time German princess but became the powerful Empress of Russia in 1762 after taking charge from her husband.
- She made Russia bigger and stronger by winning wars, taking over Crimea, and helping divide up Poland, while also starting the first government-paid school for girls in Europe.
1729–1796
Gertrude Käsebier
Arts- Gertrude Käsebier grew up on the frontier, later became a mother, and started studying art at age 37 before becoming a famous photographer.
- She opened her own photo studios, took respectful photos of Native American performers, and became one of the first women in an important photography club called The Linked Ring.
1852–1934
Jennifer King
Sports- Jennifer King played many sports and football positions before becoming a coach, and she coached basketball first, winning a championship in 2018.
- In 2021, she became the first Black woman to be a full-time assistant coach in the NFL, working with Washington's running backs.
1984
Deepika Kurup
Science · Activism- Deepika Kurup invented a way to clean dirty water using sunlight and special materials after seeing kids in India drink unsafe water.
- She won many big awards for her invention, including America's Top Young Scientist and the Stockholm Junior Water Prize.
1998
Christine Ladd-Franklin
Science- Christine Ladd-Franklin was a smart woman who studied math, logic, and how people see color, even though schools often would not treat her fairly because she was a woman.
- She finished all the work for a Ph.D. in 1876, but Johns Hopkins University did not give her the degree until 1926—fifty years later!
1847–1930
Raymonde de Laroche
Aviation · Exploration- Raymonde de Laroche was the first woman in the world to earn a pilot's license, in 1910.
- She overcame a bad crash, won a flying prize, and set new speed and height records for women in 1919.
1882–1919
Dorothy Liebes
Arts- Dorothy Liebes was an artist who turned from painting to weaving and created colorful, unique fabrics known as the 'Liebes Look.'
- She worked on famous projects like the San Francisco Stock Exchange, the United Nations building, and even airplane interiors.
1897–1972
Rigoberta Menchú
Activism · Politics- Rigoberta Menchú grew up poor in Guatemala and saw her family suffer during a long, violent war, but she fought hard for Indigenous rights.
- She wrote a famous book about her life and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1992 for her work helping Indigenous people and promoting peace.
1959
Patsy Mink
Politics · Activism- Patsy Mink faced unfair treatment because of her race and gender, but she became a lawyer and then a powerful political leader.
- She was the first Asian American woman elected to Congress and helped create Title IX, a law that gives girls and boys equal chances in school and sports.
1927–2002
Marianne Moore
Literature- Marianne Moore was a famous poet who loved studying animals and writing about small details she noticed.
- She worked as an editor, wrote award-winning poetry books, and became well known for winning three major writing awards for one book.
1887–1972
Esther Hobart Morris
Politics · Activism · Law- Esther Hobart Morris grew up poor and learned to work hard from a young age; later, she saw firsthand how unfair laws were to women.
- In 1870, she became the first woman in the U.S. to serve as a judge, in South Pass City, Wyoming, where she made fair decisions that were never overturned.
1814–1902
Grandma Moses
Arts- Grandma Moses grew up on a farm, worked hard her whole life, and only started painting when she was in her seventies because arthritis made sewing too painful.
- Her paintings of farm life became famous after a collector discovered them, leading to art shows, a TIME magazine cover, and even a movie about her life.
1860–1961
Marie-Louise von Motesiczky
Arts- Marie-Louise von Motesiczky was born in Vienna in 1906 and grew up loving art.
- She had to leave Austria in 1938 because she was Jewish, and she moved to London, which changed her art forever.
1906–1996
Alva Myrdal
Politics · Activism · Literature- Alva Myrdal grew up in Sweden, studied hard, and helped write a famous book with her husband about helping families, which helped shape Sweden's caring government system.
- She had many important jobs, like leading parts of UNESCO and the United Nations, and being Sweden's ambassador to several countries.
1902–1986
Elizabeth Webb Nicholls
Activism · Politics- Elizabeth Webb Nicholls led a group called the WCTU and helped women in South Australia win the right to vote in 1894.
- She balanced taking care of her family with her important work helping her community.
1850–1943
Mary Kenney O’Sullivan
Activism · Politics- Mary Kenney O'Sullivan grew up poor and saw how hard workers had it, which made her want to help them.
- She helped start a big group called the WTUL in 1903 to fight for fair pay and safe jobs for women workers.
1864–1943
Nancy Perkins
Law- Nancy Perkins was a law professor who taught about land, nature, and fairness for 26 years at Duquesne University.
- She wrote articles, helped lead her school, and coached student teams, retiring in 2019 as Professor Emerita.
0
Cleopatra VII Philopator
Politics- Cleopatra was a smart, powerful queen of Egypt who learned the Egyptian language and worked closely with Roman leaders Julius Caesar and Mark Antony.
- She had children with both Caesar and Antony, and used these alliances to keep her kingdom strong and independent for many years.
69–30
Elvira Popescu
Arts- Elvira Popescu was a famous actress from Romania who became very successful in France.
- She acted in plays and movies, earning many awards for her talent.
1894–1993
Emily Post
Literature- Emily Post grew up rich, but after her divorce she became a writer to support herself and her two sons.
- Her 1922 book Etiquette taught Americans that good manners really mean being kind, and it made her super famous.
1873–1960
Amrita Pritam
Literature · Activism- Amrita Pritam was a famous writer from Punjab who started writing poems as a teenager and became known for her honest stories about women's lives.
- She wrote powerful poems and books, like Pinjar, about the pain of the Partition of India, and she won many top awards for her writing.
1919–2005
Mary Quant
Arts- Mary Quant was a British fashion designer who made the miniskirt and fun, youthful styles popular in the 1960s.
- She opened a famous shop called Bazaar and later grew her styles into a big, well-known fashion brand.
1930–2023
Dixy Lee Ray
Politics · Science- Dixy Lee Ray grew up loving science and became an ocean scientist and teacher.
- She led a science center, ran the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, and became the first woman governor of Washington State.
1914–1994
Condoleezza Rice
Politics- Condoleezza Rice grew up in a strict, loving family in Birmingham, Alabama, and was a piano prodigy before switching to studying politics.
- She became the first woman ever to be National Security Advisor and the first African American woman to be Secretary of State.
1954
Alice Mary Robertson
Politics · Activism- Alice Mary Robertson grew up helping Native American communities and became a teacher, then started her own school for Creek girls.
- In 1920, she made history by becoming the first woman from Oklahoma elected to Congress and only the second woman ever in the U.S. Congress.
1854–1931
Emily Warren Roebling
Science · Activism · Law- Emily Warren Roebling taught herself engineering to help finish the Brooklyn Bridge after her husband got very sick.
- She became the first woman to speak to a big engineering group and was the first person to cross the finished bridge.
1843–1903
Svetlana Savitskaya
Science · Exploration- Svetlana Savitskaya grew up around airplanes and became a skilled pilot who set many flying records.
- She flew to space twice, becoming the first woman to visit a space station and the first woman to fly to space two times.
1948
Sophis Scholl
Activism · Politics- Sophie Scholl grew up in Germany and slowly realized the Nazi government was doing cruel, unfair things.
- She joined a secret group called the White Rose that used letters, not weapons, to tell the truth about Nazi crimes.
1921–1943
Erminnie A. Smith
Science · Literature- Erminnie A. Smith studied science in America and Europe, then became a scientist who studied the Iroquois people's language, stories, and way of life.
- She started a popular club in Jersey City and became one of the first women hired by the Smithsonian to do science fieldwork.
1836–1886
Patti Smith
Arts · Literature- Patti Smith grew up poor but loved poetry, music, and art, and she moved to New York City to become an artist.
- She mixed poetry with rock music and became famous with her album Horses, earning the nickname 'Godmother of Punk.'
1946
Benjamin Oliver Davis Sr.
Politics · Activism · Law- Benjamin O. Davis Sr. became the first Black general in the U.S. military in 1940, breaking a huge racial barrier.
- He worked hard his whole life in the Army, even though he faced unfair treatment because of his race, and he helped make things better for Black soldiers.
1877–1970
Gloria Steinum
Activism · Literature · Politics- Gloria Steinem grew up moving a lot and taking care of her sick mom, which taught her about fairness for women.
- She became a famous writer and leader who helped start Ms. magazine and other groups to help women get fair treatment.
1934
Flora Stevenson
Activism · Politics- Flora Stevenson helped kids, especially girls, go to school.
- She was the first woman on the Edinburgh School Board.
1839–1905
Baroness Bertha Sophie Felicita von Suttner
Politics · Literature · Activism- Bertha von Suttner wrote a famous book called Lay Down Your Arms! that showed how war hurts everyday people, and she became a leader in the fight for world peace.
- She was friends with Alfred Nobel and may have inspired him to create the Nobel Peace Prize, which she herself won in 1905 as the first woman ever to receive it.
1843–1914
Shirley Temple
Arts · Politics- Shirley Temple became a famous child movie star in the 1930s, known for singing, dancing, and cheering people up during hard times.
- She later became a diplomat, working for the U.S. government in places like Ghana and Czechoslovakia, and became the first woman to be Chief of Protocol.
1928–2014
Mother Teresa
Activism- Mother Teresa left her job as a teacher to help poor and sick people in Calcutta, starting a group called the Missionaries of Charity.
- She won many awards, including the Nobel Peace Prize, for her kindness and hard work helping others.
1910–1997
Margaret Murray Washington
Activism · Science- Margaret Murray Washington was born in 1865 and went to school at Fisk University before working at the Tuskegee Institute starting in 1889.
- She led a group called the National Association of Colored Women and worked to help Black women get better education.
1865–1925
Phyllis Wheatley
Literature- Phillis Wheatley was taken from Africa as a child and enslaved in Boston, but she learned to read and write and became a talented poet.
- She published a famous book of poems in 1773, becoming the first African American woman to publish a book, and was later set free.
1753–1784
Marija Juric Zagorka
Literature · Activism- Marija Zagorka was Croatia's first female journalist and wrote exciting stories under the pen name 'Zagorka.'
- She wrote famous novels, like 'The Witch of Gric,' and started a magazine to help women's rights.
1873–1957