International Women’s Day: Inspiring Heroes

Today we celebrate International Women’s Day, which recognizes the past and present achievements of women all around the world.

In honor of the the day, here are some of the remarkable women throughout history found in Geni’s World Family Tree:

Ada Lovelace (1815-1852)

Image: Wikimedia Commons

A gifted mathematician, Ada Lovelace wrote the world’s first computer program nearly a century before the first computers were built. Lovelace envisioned a day when a single machine could be programed for a variety of tasks.

Marie Curie (1867-1934)

Image: Library of Congress

Renowned physicist Marie Curie pioneered research in radiation and went on to become the first woman to win a Nobel Prize for her contributions to science. And she’s the only woman to win the Nobel Prize twice in different fields, the first in 1903 in Physics and the second in 1911 in Chemistry.

Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906)

Image: Library of Congress

One of the most significant leaders of the women’s suffrage movement, Susan B. Anthony devoted her life fighting for a woman’s right to vote. With the help of fellow suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Anthony drafted the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits any citizen to be denied the right to vote based on gender. She even worked internationally for women’s rights, playing a key role in creating the International Council of Women, an international organization advocating human rights for women.

Rosa Parks (1913-2005)

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Inspirational civil rights activist Rosa Parks was thrust to the American spotlight in 1955 when she refused to give up her bus seat to a white passenger. The incident resulted in her arrest and sparked a city-wide boycott. Her act of defiance became an important symbol of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement and helped lead the way to end segregation.

Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962)

Image: Franklin D. Roosevelt Library

Eleanor Roosevelt transformed the roll of the First Lady of the United States by becoming an active participant in American politics. She gave press conferences, wrote a syndicated newspaper column and spoke at a national convention. She was a strong advocate of women and the civil rights of African-Americans, and even publicly disagreed with some of her husband’s policies. After the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, she served at the United Nations and focused on human rights and women’s issues.

Rosalind Franklin (1920-1958)

Image: Wikimedia Commons

The discovery of DNA would not have been possible without the work of Rosalind Franklin, an English chemist whose research helped lead to the discovery of the molecular structure of DNA. James Watson and Francis Crick built much of their research and discovery of the DNA double helix on Franklin’s experimental data. Her pioneering use of X-ray diffraction on DNA fibers were key to understanding the structure of DNA.

Who are the inspiring women in your family tree? Share them with us in the comments below!