19 World-Changing Women No One Ever Talks About

There was a time not too long ago when women weren't allowed to play sports, and that was especially true for Black women. That is, until Althea Gibson entered the picture. In 1950, she broke barriers and became the first Black tennis player to compete in the US Open, and the first at Wimbledon.

Women weren't allowed to be in politics for the longest time, so the women who broke those barriers changed the world. Margaret Chase Smith was the first woman to be elected to the House of Representatives and the United States Senate.

Whether we agree with her political ideologies or not, Sandra Day O'Connor broke barriers and shaped life in the US. She was the first woman who was appointed to the US Supreme Court and was a key swing vote in many of the cases that still impact our lives today, including Roe v. Wade. She served for 24 years, retiring in 2006.

In 1984, Geraldine Ferraro ran for vice president of the US and was the first woman of a major political party to run. During her political career, she advocated for women's rights and was vocal about the importance of seeing the challenges of the working class.

Today, we have the first Black woman serving as US vice president. Harris' significant win would not have been possible if it wasn't for Shirley Chisholm. Chisholm was the first Black woman to be a candidate for a major party presidential nomination in 1972.

Ruby Bridges was only 6 years old when she worked toward equality. In 1960, she was the first Black child to attend an all-white elementary school in the South. She was bravely escorted through crowds of white students and their parents who were protesting desegregation.

Maya Lin was only 21 years old when she won the competition to design the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC. It has since become one of the most visited monuments in the capital. The design was controversial, but the artist stood behind her work.

Winona LaDuke is internationally known for her voice on environmental injustice among Indigenous communities, renewable energy, and climate change. In 1994, she was recognized by Time as one of America's 50 future leaders under 40 years old. In the past 27 years, her work has continued.

Climate change is a massive area of concern for the world, and Susan Solomon is recognized as a leader in atmospheric science. One of the largest contributions she's made is her research into the ozone hole in the Antarctic and the importance of taking global warning seriously.

So many kids list their ideal career as an astronaut, but Sally Ride made that dream a reality. The American physicist and astronaut was the first American woman in space in 1983. The impressive Ride was also only the third woman in space — ever. Ride was 32 years old when she went to space and still holds the record as the youngest American astronaut to head to space.

Wangari Maathai was the first woman in East and Central Africa to earn a doctorate degree and became the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, too. She was a green activist who also fought for democracy in Kenya (she was jailed for her work in that area). She created thousands of jobs and did incredible work through the Green Belt Movement.

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Most of us can't wait until the end of the day when we can finally take off our bras. While we're thankful they exist — this piece of clothing does make life more comfortable. It was Caresse Crosby who came up with the modern bra and patented the first version way back in 1914.

Clara Barton was a pioneer in first aid. The self-taught nurse founded the American Red Cross after working in a hospital during the Civil War. Her pull to do good in society revolutionized the whole idea of volunteer work.

Another scientist, Rosalind Franklin was an X-ray crystallographer and chemist whose work was instrumental in learning and understanding the structures in DNA, RNA, viruses, and several substances. Her work laid important groundwork for developing an understanding of the double helix structure of DNA.

In 1977, Rosalyn Yalow became the second woman to win a Nobel Prize in medicine. Her contribution was a medical technique, radioimmunoassay, which uses "radioactive isotopes to quickly and precisely measure concentrations of hormones, vitamins, viruses, enzymes, drugs, and hundreds more substances." Basically, her incredible work laid the groundwork for so many different tests, diagnostic tools, and treatments.

Chien-Shiung Wu was born in Liuhe, Jiangsu province, China and moved to the US in 1936 to pursue graduate studies in physics at the University of California at Berkeley. Through the course of her career, she revolutionized physics and the study of subatomic interactions.

Ask any new mama and she can probably tell you what her baby's Apgar score was — the test given to babies one minute after birth and five minutes after to quickly assess their health. Well, that procedure came from Dr. Virginia Apgar's work in newborn health. The Apgar score was presented in 1952 at a scientific meeting, was first published in medical journals in 1953. It's still being used today.

Madam C.J. Walker died in 1919, but before that, she made a major name for herself. She built the largest African American business in the US and employed thousands of Black woman in her hair care and cosmetics brand. She was vocal in the fight to end racial discrimination and was the first female self-made millionaire in the US.

Indira Gandhi was the first and still the only woman who held the title of prime minister of India. She served for three consecutive terms between 1966 and 1977. She led a fourth term in 1980 and held that title until she was assassinated in 1984.