There’s a reason we celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8 every year. It was the day in 1917 when women in Soviet Russia gained the right to vote. While there had been other Women’s Days celebrated previously, it was this date that the United Nations chose in 1975.
And before someone says it: Yes, there is an International Men’s Day. It’s November 19th.
RELATED STORIES
J. K. Rowling
This lady needs no introduction. The Harry Potter author is famous for her story of writing stories while living on state welfare only to later become the first author to ever become a billionaire.
Michelle Obama
The former First Lady continues to be an inspiration for women everywhere. She continues to fight for causes she believes in, such as equal rights and the health of American children.
Golda Meir
Golda Meir was elected Prime Minister of Israel in 1969, the first and only woman to ever hold that office. She was the fourth woman in the world to hold such a post.
Beyoncé
She may have started as one member of pop group Destiny’s Child , but it didn’t take long for Beyoncé to become famous enough to drop her last name. She’s an inspiration for women everywhere.
Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
I’ve seen this quote falsely attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt, but it is actually from a scholarly article by Ulrich , who is an American historian.
The article was about Puritan funeral services and was published in 1976.
Ellen DeGeneres
Ellen in a comedian, talk show host, and all around awesome lady.
Though it put her career at risk, she came out as a lesbian in 1997 and remains a powerful advocate for LGBTQIA+ issues.
Nora Ephron
Nora Ephron was best known for writing amazing romantic comedies, such as When Harry Met Sally… and Sleepless in Seattle .
People have lauded her for the realistic, complicated women in her screenplays.
Malala Yousafzai
In 2012, Malala was outspoken against the Taliban’s attempts to ban girls from education. One day, a man got on her school bus, demanded to know which person she was, and then shot her in the head.
Miraculously, she survived, and didn’t let it stop her. In 2014, she received the Nobel Peace Prize for her work to further opportunities for girls around the world.
