Inspirational women in history - who's yours?

[HecateTrivia]

My son has to research and do a biography of an inspirational woman in history. I wondered who you feel inspired by?

Constance Markievicz was the first to be elected.

Margaret Thatcher was part of the team that developed soft ice cream (Mr Whippy). Pretty amazing she did that and became the first female PM.

Ada Lovelace for writing the first computer programme

For me it's:
Boudicca
Sophie Scholl (so incredibly brave at such a young age)
Anne Frank
Maya Angelou
Elizabeth I

I have no idea what to think of Mother Theresa. I used to think she was incredible and inspirational but then I read a bit of Christopher Hitchen's book on her. I would love to read more of it but he wrote a lot about how she was given millions in donations (sometimes from dictators) but spent them on convents to glorify god, leaving the people she was supposed to be helping to die in terrible pain, because that would supposedly bring them closer to Christ. It seemed like at worst a very evil and at best a misguided decision to make. CH saw her as a complete fraud.

Just read about Sophie Scholl. What an inspiring story. Passive resistance to the Nazi regime in her own country and guillotined at 22.

I really think more should be taught in school about such inspirational people. History is too focussed on events and I think the people get forgotten about.

Gandhi and the Dalai Llama have inspired me (but I know they don't count)

Anyone who stands up and is prepared to be counted inspires me. That is why Rosa Parks is up there right at the top.

As Gandhi said:

Be the change you wish to see in the world.

(Now this could lead to a thread on inspirational quotes by females)

I rather like the ab fab lady- Joanna Lumley, partly because I used to laugh and laugh at her tv programmes and then she turned out to be not just a joker.

Mother Teresa was bound to have enemies. (Hitchin) She made it OK and important to be charitable in a country which at the time was teaming with very very poor disregarded people. She inspired others to do their bit.

Marg Simpson - for depicting the reality of modern womans life (kid yourself not)

Betty Boop - sex symbol and not blonde (oop oop e doop)

OK to be explicit J Lumley is inspirational not because she was on ab fab but because she fought for the Gurkha's rights.

wow. so many wonderful women.

So who has he picked :)

He chose Rosa Parks.

Edith Cavell is a local heroine for me. She was a nurse in WW1, shot by the germans for helping allied soldiers escape. She was incredibly brave.

A good choice. One name who will live on in history.

Queen Matilda (our first Queen), the thone was given to her by her Father King Henry I But her cousin Stephen stole it from her and was crowned. She fought him and become Queen herself only for it to be taken from her again. In the end her Son King Henry II did come to the throne.

Gertrude Bell, she did more for the middle east region than Lawrence of Arabia. But she is never recognised. She didnt like the way the area was divded and she knew there would be blood shed afterwards.

Can I just mention Helen Skelton?
I know she is young but I think she is an excellent role model, particularly to young girls. As far as I know she keeps her private life to herself, is professional, brave, adventurous and not afraid to cry on tv or admit she was wrong/stubborn etc.

Love this thread - I'm learning about lots of women I have never heard of or reading more about women I only knew a little

I would go for Anne Boleyn. She might be 'the other woman' in some people's eyes, but I think she was must have been an incredibly powerful and strong willed woman to have survived so long - she had a thing with Henry viii for seven years before he got her into bed! She influenced the politics of the time, changed religion and caused the biggest stir in society. Plus it was her daughter Elizabeth the 1st who wen onto be one of the greatest monarchs our realm has ever seen.

I know this is about history but what about contemporary women?

Women who history will look back on.

Aung san suu kyi - I am so pleased she is free now.

me too, banyan. I think it's great! I am googling each and every one and learning so much about all these amazing women.

There must be a book about this - or is there potential for one? I think many women (and hopefully some men) would love to read it.

Yes, if there isn't, there ought to be.

Well they've done 50 of them.

www.amazon.co.uk/Women-Who-Changed-World-Inspirational/dp/1905204043/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1339272064&sr=1-1

madonna? That's a surprising one. I've never really considered her an inspiration to women. She's a good business woman certainly, but inspirational?

Wangari Maathai, who won the Nobel peace prize in 2004 for her work promoting environmental awareness in Kenya.

For younger children this book is quite good Amelia to Zora though it does focus on relatively recent (20th century) women.

Isabella Bird
Eleanor of Aquitaine
Isabella of Spain
Mary King