Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Picotte was the first Native American woman to become a doctor. She grew up on the Omaha Reservation in Nebraska. A reservation is a place where Native Americans were forced to live after their lands were taken. Picotte saw people suffer when white doctors would not treat them. She earned a medical degree in 1889, which was rare for women of her time. She then returned to care for patients in her community.

Carson is often called the mother of the environmental movement. Born in Pennsylvania in 1907, she grew up loving nature. She later became a biologist and an author. Her most famous book was Silent Spring, published in 1962. In it, Carson showed that the chemicals farmers used to keep bugs and weeds from damaging crops were dangerous to wildlife. Carson’s book got many Americans talking about pollution and the environment.

Known as the “First Lady of Song,” Fitzgerald was one of America’s most famous singers. She was born in Virginia in 1917 and performed jazz music from the 1930s through the 1980s. In 1959, Fitzgerald became the first Black woman to win a Grammy, a top award in the music industry. She won a total of 14 Grammys in her lifetime.

O’Connor was the first woman to serve as a U.S. Supreme Court justice. Born in Arizona in 1930, she studied hard and became a lawyer. At first, she had trouble finding work because most firms would not hire women. But she persisted. In 1981, President Ronald Reagan appointed her to the Supreme Court, the highest court in the country. She served for nearly 25 years and helped decide hundreds of important legal cases.

Rudolph was the fastest woman in the world in her day. But first she had to overcome great obstacles. She suffered from polio as a child. The disease paralyzed her left leg. But Rudolph recovered and trained hard as a runner. In the 1960 Olympic Games, she won three gold medals and set three world records! Back home in Tennessee, Rudolph insisted that the parade honoring her not be racially segregated. 

Ride was the first American woman in space. Born in California in 1951, she grew up loving math and science. She became a scientist and applied to NASA to be an astronaut. Ride was hired and spent six years training. In 1983, she went into space on the space shuttle Challenger. In 1984, she was part of a second shuttle mission. Her work inspired many girls to follow their own dreams.

Harris is making history as America’s first female vice president. She is also the first Black American and first Asian American to hold the job. Growing up in California, she sometimes faced discrimination because of her skin color. She studied law and was elected to several important positions in her state’s government. In 2016, she was elected to the U.S. Senate. In 2021, she became America’s vice president under President Joe Biden.