Top 100 Women of History - Introduction |
How I Selected and Sequenced the List |
More Women A-ZWho are the most popular women of history, on the Net? Here's a section of the list of the top 100 in popularity. If the name is underlined, you'll find a biography or article about her.
Are the results what you expected? I had a lot of surprises, myself. If you don't find a favorite, it's likely that I did look her up (I included more than 300 women in my research), but her web popularity, over a number of years, just didn't stack up. Solution? More media exposure, more attention to history standards, more education.
Mata Hari, one of history's most infamous spies, was executed in 1917 by the French for spying for the Germans. Was she guilty as charged?
Anne Bradstreet, colonial American woman, was America's first poet. Her experiences and writings allow insight into the experience of the early Puritans in New England.
Louisa May Alcott is best known as author of
Little Women, and less well known for her service as a Civil War nurse and for her friendship with Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Eudora Welty, known as a Southern writer, was a 6-time winner of the O. Henry Award for Short Stories. Her many awards include the National Medal for Literature, the American Book Award, and, in 1969, a Pulitzer Prize.
36. Molly Pitcher
Molly Pitcher was the name given in several varying stories about women who fought in the American Revolution. Some of these stories may be based on events that happened to a Mary Hays McCauley, and some may be about a Margaret Corbin.Joan Baez, part of the 1960s folk revival, is also known for her advocacy of peace and human rights.
Senora Maria Eva Duarte de Peron, known as Eva Peron or Evita Peron, was an actress who married Argentian Juan Peron and helped him win the presidency, becoming active in politics and the labor movement herself.
"Lizzie Borden took an axe, and gave her mother forty whacks" -- or did she? Lizzie Borden was accused (and acquitted) of the murders of her father and stepmother.
Michelle Kwan, a champion figure skater, is remembered by many for her Olympic performances, though the gold medal eluded her.
31. Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan and nicknamed Lady Day) was a jazz singer who came from a tough past, and struggled against racial discrimination and her own addictions.
