Mother's Day as we know it in America was initiated by the efforts of one woman:
Anna Jarvis
The British Library has added an oral history collection on feminism and the women's liberation movement of the 1960s to 1980s. You'll find interviews on a variety of themes, plus biographies of those interviewed, a timeline and notes for teachers who want to use the material in the classroom. Learn more:
Sisterhood and After: An Oral History of the Women's Liberation Movement
Suggested reading:
Jeanne d'Albret was a key leader in the Huguenot party in France in the 16th century. Her son became King of France, though he abandoned his mother's Protestantism in assuming the throne. Her mother was the writer
Marguerite of Navarre, sister of King Francis I, and educated Jeanne according to Renaissance standards. Marguerite was, in turn, educated by her mother,
Louise of Savoy, in languages, theology, philosophy, and history. Read more:

The Egyptian Queen
Nefertiti is one of the most recognizable faces of ancient history, in large part because of the famous bust that was discovered in 1912. I've summarized here the known facts about Nefertiti's life, as well as several of the theories about her origins and what happened to her when she disappeared from the public record.
More about Nefertiti:
Image (c) 2005 ClipArt.com. Used with permission.