Sojourner Truth was an African-American abolitionist and women’s rights activist. Truth was born Isabella Baumfree around 1797 to James and Elizabeth Baumfree in the town of Swartekill, in Ulster County, New York. Her father was a slave who had been captured in modern-day Ghana and her mother was the daughter of slaves from Guinea. The …
Marian Anderson was an American singer and one of the finest contraltos of her time. She became the first African American to perform with the New York Metropolitan Opera in 1955 and an important figure in the struggle for black artists to overcome racial prejudice in the United States. Anderson was born in South Philadelphia …
Margaret Mead was an American cultural anthropologist, women’s rights activist and writer. Mead was born in 1901 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Edward Sherwood Mead, a professor of finance at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and Emily Mead, a feminist political activist and sociologist who studied Italian immigrants. Mead’s family moved frequently and …
Iris Apfel is an American businesswoman, interior designer, and fashion icon. Apfel was born Iris Barrel in Astoria, Queens, New York to Samuel Barrel, whose family owned a glass-and-mirror business, and his Russian-born wife, Sadye, who owned a fashion boutique. Apfel studied art history at New York University and then attended art school at the …
Florence B. Seibert was an American biochemist best known for her contributions to the tuberculin test and to safety measures for intravenous drug therapy. She is a member of the U.S. National Women’s Hall of Fame. Seibert was born in Easton, Pennsylvania. As the age of three she contracted polio which left her with a …
Mary Berry CBE is an English food writer, baker and television presenter, known for being a judge on The Great British Bake Off. She has written over 70 cookbooks which have sold over five million copies. Berry was born in Bath in 1935 to Alleyne William Steward Berry and his wife Margaret. Her father would …
Ada Lovelace was a British Analyst, Metaphysician, and Founder of Scientific Computing. Lovelace was born Ada Gordon in 1815. Her father, George Gordon, Lord Byron and her mother Annabella Milbanke separated when she was a month old. A few months later, Lord Byron left England and never saw Ada again. Lovelace’s mother raised her under …
Rebecca Adlington is an English former competitive swimmer. She has won four Olympic medals including two Olympic gold medals. She was Britain’s first Olympic swimming champion since 1988, and the first British swimmer to win two Olympic gold medals since 1908. She is Great Britain’s joint most decorated female Olympian. Adlington was born in Mansfield, …
Michelle Obama is the 44th first lady of the United States. She is a writer and an advocate for poverty awareness, nutrition, physical activity and healthy eating. Obama was born Michelle LaVaughn Robinson in 1964 in Chicago, Illinois. She was pushed to succeed in school and skipped the second grade. She was chosen for a …
Laverne Cox is an American emmy-nominated actress and the first trans woman of colour to have a leading role on a mainstream scripted television show. She is an advocate for the transgender community and was honored by GLAAD with its Stephen F. Kolzak Award for her work. Cox was born in Mobile, Alabama and raised …