100 WOMEN WHO CHANGED THE WORLD
We asked you to vote for the women you believe have had the biggest impact on world history, from a shortlist of 100 figures selected by 10 experts. Turn the page to discover who topped our poll and to read historians’ analysis of the results
100 Amrita Pritam 1919–2005 Indian writer and poet 99 Annette Kellerman 1887–1975 Professional swimmer 98 Buchi Emecheta 1944–2017 Pioneering novelist 97 Emilie du Châtelet 1706–49 French natural philosopher 96 Fanny Mendelssohn 1805–47 Pianist and composer 95 Katia Krafft 1942–91 French volcanologist 94 Sophie Blanchard 1778–1819 Professional aeronaut 93 Susan Sontag 1933–2004 Writer and filmmaker 92 Yeshe Tsogyal 757–817 Mother of Tibetan Buddhism 91 Aisha c613/614–678 Wife of Muhammad 90 Anna Jacobson Schwartz 1915–2012 American economist 89 Beulah Louise Henry 1887–1973 Prolific inventor 88 Clara Schumann 1819–96 Musician and composer 87 Elinor Ostrom 1933–2012 Political economist 86 Estée Lauder 1908–2004 Cosmetics company founder 85 Fanny Blankers-Koen 1918–2004 Dutch athlete 84 Fanny Burney 1752–1840 Novelist and playwright 83 Gwen John 1876–1939 Artist 82 Helen Gwynne-Vaughan 1879–1967 Pioneering RAF commandant 81 Lily Parr 1905–78 Professional footballer 80 Maria Bochkareva 1889–1920 Russian army officer 79 Murasaki Shikibu c978–1016 Japanese novelist and poet 78 Ruth Handler 1916–2002 Businesswoman and inventor 77 Sarojini Naidu 1879–1949 Political activist and poet 76 Sonja Henie 1912–69 Figure skater and film star 75 Wilma Rudolph 1940–94 Olympic champion 74 Alice Milliat 1884–1957 Pioneering athlete 73 Andrea Dworkin 1946–2005 Radical feminist and writer 72 Dowager Empress Cixi of China 1835–1908 Chinese ruler for 47 years 71 George Eliot 1819–80 Novelist and poet 70 Joan Robinson 1903–83 Economist 69 Lottie Dod 1871–1960 Sportswoman 68 Maria Merian 1647–1717 Naturalist and entomologist 67 Marie Marvingt 1875–1963 French athlete and aviator 66 Martina BergmanÖsterberg 1849–1915 Pioneer of women’s sport 65 Mary Somerville 1780–1872 Science writer and polymath 64 Prophet Deborah c12th century BC Biblical prophet of Yahweh 63 Rachael Heyhoe Flint 1939–2017 Cricketer and philanthropist 62 Sarah 1867–1919 Breedlove Entrepreneur and activist 61 Suzanne 1899–1938 Lenglen French tennis player 60 Emily Hobhouse 1860–1926 British welfare campaigner 59 Ethel Smyth 1858–1944 Composer and suffragist 58 Gertrude Ederle 1906–2003 Swimming champion 57 Junko Tabei 1939–2016 Japanese mountaineer 56 Laura Bassi 1711–78 Physicist and academic 55 Marie Van Brittan Brown 1922–99 Inventor of the first CCTV 54 Maryam Mirzakhani 1977–2017 Iranian mathematician 53 Sirimavo Bandaranaike 1916–2000 Prime minister of Sri Lanka 52 Anna Akhmatova 1889–1966 Russian poet 51 Clara Barton 1821–1912 American Red Cross founder 50 Gabriela Mistral 1889–1957 Chilean poet- diplomat 49 Indira Gandhi 1917–84 Indian prime minister 48 Katharine Graham 1917–2001 Washington Post publisher 47 Zora Neale Hurston 1891–1960 African-American author 46 Artemisia Gentileschi 1593–1652/53 Italian Baroque painter 45 Coco Chanel 1883–1971 French fashion designer 44 Aphra Behn 1640–89 British playwright and poet 43 Bessie Coleman 1892–1926 Civil aviator 42 Isabella Bird 1831–1904 Explorer and writer 41 Catherine de’ Medici 1519–89 Italian-born queen of France 40 Lise Meitner 1878–1968 Austrian physicist 39 Nellie Bly 1864–1922 Pioneering journalist 38 Sacagawea 1788–1812 Shoshone interpreter 37 Eleanor Rathbone 1872–1946 MP and philanthropist 36 Hypatia c355–415 Ancient Greek philosopher 35 Theodora c497–548 Empress of Byzantium 34 Frida Kahlo 1907–54 Mexican artist 33 Grace Hopper 1906–92 Computer scientist 32 Simone de Beauvoir 1908–86 Writer and philosopher 31 Virginia Woolf 1882–1941 British modernist novelist 30 Wangari Maathai 1940–2011 Environmental activist 29 Catherine of Siena 1347–80 Philosopher and theologian 28 Isabella of Castile 1451–1504 Queen of Castile 27 Joan of Arc 1412–31 Martyr and military leader 26 Mary Anning 1799–1847 Paleontologist 25 Elizabeth Fry 1780–1845 Social reformer 24 Cleopatra 69 BC–30 BC Egyptian pharaoh 23 Vera Atkins 1908–2000 British intelligence officer 22 Catherine the Great 1729–96 Empress of Russia 21 Mary Shelley 1797–1851 Novelist