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The Virgin Mary
The mother oI Jesus, she is revered Ior her motherly love and humility. Eastern Orthodox,
Roman Catholic and Protestant churches believe that Mary remained a virgin and that Jesus
was divinely conceived. However, the Roman Catholic also believes in Immaculate
Conception. Many Christians pray to Mary as an intercessor and mother oI the church. As a
main Iigure in Christianity and the mother oI Jesus Christ she has been worshiped the world
over and touched millions oI people. Mary has become the Iocus oI Ieminine aspirations
within Christianity, much to the chagrin oI those Christian leaders who would preIer to keep
Christianity a male-dominated religion. Because Jesus and God are typically described in
exclusively male terms, Mary has become the most immediate Iemale connection to divinity
that Christians have had.

eopatra.
The last Ptolemaic ruler oI Egypt. Cleopatra sought to deIend Egypt Irom the expanding Roman
Empire. In doing so she Iormed relationships with 2 oI Rome`s most powerIul leaders Marc
Anthony and Julius Caesar. These relationships have been depicted in Romantic terms, although
in reality they may have been political alliances.




1oan of Arc 1412-1431
Joan was born in 1412 to a prosperous Iarmer and is best remembered as the Maid oI Orleans
who was burned at the stake aIter her heroic involvement in the Hundred Years War. She began
her rise as a teenager when she heard voices telling her to save France Irom the English. She
traveled to Chinon and begged Charles VII to allow her to ride with his army to the siege oI
Orleans. Because oI her visions, she led the French army into several battles as a way oI
boosting the morale oI the troops. AIter a Iailed attack on Paris she was captured by the
Burgundians and sold to the English who tried her Ior witchcraIt and heresy. She was deIiantly
burnt at the stake on the 30
th
oI May at the marketplace in Rouen, and her ashes were thrown
into the Seine. She was canonized in 1920 by Benedict XV and is now France`s second parton.


Eizabeth I 1533-1603
Queen oI England during a time oI great economic and social change, she saw England
cemented as a Protestant country. During her reign she witnessed the deIeat oI the Spanish
Armada leaving Britain to later become one oI the world`s dominant superpowers.


1ane Austen 1775-1817
One oI the most popular Iemale authors Jane Austen wrote several novels, which remain highly
popular today. These include 'Pride and Prejudice 'Emma and 'Northanger Abbey. Jane
Austen wrote at a time when Iemale writers were very rare, helping pave the way Ior Iuture
writers.



Harriet Beecher Stowe 1811-1896
Harriet Beecher Stowe was a liIe long anti slavery campaigner. Her novel 'Uncle Tom`s Cabin
was a best seller and helped to popularise the anti slavery campaign. Abraham Lincoln would
later remark her books were a major Iactor behind the American civil war.



Marie urie 1867-1934
Born in Warsaw in 1867 she is best known Ior her work in the Iield oI radioactivity which lead
her to become the Iirst person to ever have been given two Nobel Prizes. She is also credited Ior
the discovery oI two new elements, polonium and radium, as well as being the Iirst person to
isolate radioactive isotopes to be used as a possible cure Ior cancer. AIter the death oI her
husband Pierre she took over his job as proIessor at the Sorbonne, making her the Iirst woman
to teach there. She passed away on July 4, 1934 due to the eIIects oI her prolonged exposure to
radiation, and to this day she is remembered as one oI the greatest scientists oI all time.


oco hane 1883-1971
One oI the most innovative Iashion designers Coco Chanel was instrumental in deIining Ieminine
style and dress during the 20th Century. Her ideas were revolutionary; in particular she oIten took
traditionally male clothes and redesigned them Ior the beneIit oI women.

Mother Teresa 1910-1997
Born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in 1910, by the time she was 12 she knew she was meant to help the
poor. She went to India when she was 17 and her Iirst assignment aIter becoming a nun was teaching
at a school in Calcutta. In 1948 she leIt the convent and Iounded the Order oI the Missionaries oI
Charity which ministered to the poor, sick, dying and orphaned Iirst in India and then in other
countries. Her humanitarian work led her to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 and the Bharat
Ratna, India`s highest honor, in 1980. She died in 1997 aIter being plagued by years oI heart
problems, and was later beatiIied by Pope John Paul II.



Margaret Thatcher 1925 -
Born Margaret Roberts in 1925, she worked her way up the British political ladder starting as a lawyer
beIore being elected to Parliament and Iinally being named Prime Minister oI Great Britain in 1979, the
Iirst woman to hold the oIIice. During her time in power, she Iavored political patriotism, privatization,
low taxes, balanced budgets and individual initiative. She Iocused on international aIIairs with her
greatest victory being the Falklands War or 1982 in Argentina. She has earned the nickname The Iron
Lady Ior her rough-talking rhetoric.



Mariyn Monroe 1926-1962
Born Norma Jean Baker, Marilyn rose Irom childhood poverty to become one oI the most iconic Iilm
legends. Her Iilms were moderately successIul, but her lasting Iame came through her photogenic
good looks and aura oI glamour and sophistication.



Ameia Earhart
One oI the most Iamous pilots in history, Amelia was born in 1897 in Atchison, Kansas. She saw
her Iirst air show in the winter oI 1920 and was inspired to Ily, and by the next December she had
earned her pilot`s license. Her short aviation career is Iull oI Ilight records including being the Iirst
woman to Ily solo across both the Atlantic and PaciIic Oceans. These records launched Amelia into
the spotlight and she used her Iame to become an advocate oI both women`s rights and commercial
aviation. In 1937 she set out in an attempt to become the Iirst woman to circumnavigate the globe.
AIter accomplishing more than two thirds oI the distance, her plane disappeared into the South
PaciIic and neither her nor her navigator Fred Noonan or her plane has ever been seen again.



Oprah Winfrey 1954 -
InIluential talk show host, Oprah WinIrey was the Iirst women to own her own talk show host. Her
show and book club is tremendously inIluential, usually Iocusing on issues Iacing American women.





Madonna 1958 -
Madonna is the most successIul Iemale musician oI all time. She has sold in excess oI 250 million
records. In addition to being a great pop musician she has rarely been out oI the limelight.




Diana, Princess of Waes 1961-1997
Princess Diana combined the appeal oI a Royal princess with her humanitarian charity work.
Although her marriage to Prince Charles was overshadowed by aIIairs on both sides, her popularity
remained undimmed as many were inspired by her natural sympathy with the poor and mistreated.





Lady GaGa Awards:
O 2010 People's Choice Awards: Favorite Breakout Music Artist - Winner
O 2010 People's Choice Awards: Favorite Pop Artist - Winner
O 2009 Grammy: Best Dance Recording - Winner
O 2009 Grammy: Best Electronic/Dance Album - Winner
O 2010 Grammy: Best Female Pop Vocal Performance - Winner
O 2010 Grammy: Best Pop Vocal Album - Winner
O 2010 Grammy: Best Short Form Music Video - Winner
O 2011 Emmy: Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special - Nominee