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Women Who Dared

In Honor of Women's History Month

We recognize 15 women whose actions—in courtrooms, on buses, in polling booths and in planes—shattered the status quo. Through guts, grit and unyielding perseverance these women made a difference, raising our expectations for ourselves, our daughters, and our granddaughters.

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Library of Congress

Happy Birthday, Rosa Parks, Mother of the Civil Rights Movement

February 04, 2010
by findingDulcinea Staff
Rosa Parks was a seamstress and NAACP secretary whose simple act of civil disobedience—her refusal to give up her seat on the bus to a white passenger—helped touch off the Civil Rights Movement.
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  • Happy Birthday, Madam C.J. Walker, the First African-American Female Millionaire
    December 23, 2009 06:00 AM
    Although she never finished school, Madam C.J. Walker’s business acumen paved her rags-to-riches story. She stated, “If I accomplished anything in life, it was because I have been willing to work hard.” Considered the wealthiest African-American woman of her time, she’s called the “original Oprah Winfrey”; she used her position to oppose racial discrimination, and support civic, educational and social institutions for African Americans.
  • Happy Birthday, Rita Moreno, Award-Winning Actress
    December 11, 2009 06:00 AM
    Latina actress Rita Moreno burst onto the scene with her roles on Broadway and her portrayal of Anita in the film “West Side Story”; she went on to win all four major entertainment awards.
  • Happy Birthday, Billie Jean King, Tennis Star and Feminist Pioneer
    November 22, 2009 06:00 AM
    Tennis star Billie Jean King spent her career campaigning for gender equality in sports. Her win in 1973’s highly publicized “Battle of the Sexes” match helped to legitimize women’s athletics in the eyes of the world.
  • Happy Birthday, Hetty Green, the "Witch of Wall Street"
    November 21, 2009 06:00 AM
    Hetty Green was a successful American businesswoman who was as renowned for her Wall Street savvy and fantastic wealth as she was for her ruthless frugality and scroogelike behavior.
  • Happy Birthday, Marie Curie, Discoverer of Radium
    November 07, 2009 12:00 AM
    The first woman in France to receive a doctorate degree, scientist Marie Curie is remembered for her discoveries in radioactivity and radioactive elements. Her work won her two Nobel prizes in physics and chemistry, but unfortunately also led to her death.
  • Happy Birthday, Eleanor Roosevelt, Philanthropist and Revolutionary First Lady
    October 11, 2009 12:00 AM
    Eleanor Roosevelt was more than just a first lady. She was a politician in her own right, serving on the United Nations, promoting the New Deal and setting off second-wave feminism with her insistence that she—and all other women—be treated as equal to men.
  • Happy Birthday, Barbara Walters, First Female Television News Anchor
    September 25, 2009 12:00 AM
    Barbara Walters, the first woman news anchor on television, quashed the lie that women had no place in the news industry. Through “Barbara Walters Specials” she has reached out to politicians, media darlings, rock stars and murderers, asking tough questions in sensitive ways and bringing unique insights to the character of the world’s most loved and most hated personalities.
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  • Happy Birthday, Amelia Earhart, Record Breaking Pilot Nicknamed “Lady Lindy”
    July 24, 2009 05:00 AM
    Amelia Earhart set the gold standard for “enlightened feminism.” She was dubbed “Lady Lindy” because of her likeness to aviator Charles Lindbergh, and because her solo flight across the Atlantic was second only to his own. Although the mystery of her disappearance overshadows her life’s work, her artless charm, compassion and boundless daring endeared her to men and women across the globe.
  • Mildred Loving, Activist for Interracial Marriage
    June 22, 2009 06:15 AM
    Mildred Loving, a black woman married to a white man, missed her home in Virginia. But a state ban against interracial marriage prevented the couple from living there. The Lovings brought their case all the way to the Supreme Court, which led to a historic decision in 1967 that struck down state laws against interracial marriage.
  • Happy Birthday, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Author and Abolitionist
    June 14, 2009 06:30 AM
    Harriet Beecher Stowe’s most memorable contribution to society was her book, “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” The responses to Stowe’s work were so powerfully divisive that Abraham Lincoln upon meeting her said, “So you’re the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war.”

    “The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone.” -Harriet Beecher Stowe
  • Happy Birthday, Melissa Etheridge, Musician, Cancer Survivor and Gay Rights Activist
    May 29, 2009 06:30 AM
    An Oscar winner and two-time Grammy Award winner, the prolific Melissa Etheridge is renowned for her blend of pop-infused folk rock and her advocacy of progressive social issues.
  • Happy Birthday, Madeleine Albright, First Female Secretary of State
    May 15, 2009 06:30 AM
    Madeleine Albright, the first female U.S. secretary of state, served as the face of U.S. foreign policy during Bill Clinton's second term as president. This hardworking politician also has several academic honors on her resume as well.
  • Happy Birthday, Candice Bergen, Film and Television Star
    May 09, 2009 08:00 AM
    Candice Bergen came from a show business family and starred in numerous films in the 1960s and 1970s. But it wasn’t until her ten-year run on television as broadcast journalist Murphy Brown that she became a household name.
  • Happy Birthday, Madam C.J. Walker, the First African-American Female Millionaire
    December 23, 2008 06:45 AM
    Although she never finished school, Madam C.J. Walker’s business acumen paved her rags-to-riches story. She stated, “If I accomplished anything in life, it was because I have been willing to work hard.” Considered the wealthiest African-American woman of her time, she’s called the “original Oprah Winfrey”; she used her position to oppose racial discrimination, and support civic, educational and social institutions for African Americans.
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