# 17 Women Who Changed History > 17 women who reshaped the world, from WWII spies to space pioneers. - Title: 17 Women Who Changed History · BuzzFeed | Shortify - Summary: 17 women who reshaped the world, from WWII spies to space pioneers. 17 women made significant historical impacts across fields like science, civil rights… - Keywords: tallulah bankhead, anne lister, gladys bentley, marsha p johnson, sylvia rivera, pauli murray, qiu jin, noor khan, haben girma, judith love cohen, begum rokeya, mary dixon kies - Source: BuzzFeed — https://buzzfeed.com/nicolebeckett/women-you-should-have-learned-about - Published: 2026-10-27T10:01:03+00:00 - Read time: 1 min - Topics: tallulah bankhead, anne lister, gladys bentley, marsha p johnson, sylvia rivera, pauli murray, qiu jin, noor khan, haben girma, judith love cohen, begum rokeya, mary dixon kies ## Tallulah Bankhead American actress known for stage and film roles in the 1920s-1940s. > My father warned me about men and booze, but he never said anything about women and cocaine ## Anne Lister 18th-century woman known for journals and nickname 'gentleman jack'. > Gentleman jack ## Gladys Bentley Blues singer and drag performer who challenged gender norms. > She became known for her deep voice, sense of style (often rocking traditionally male styles), and performing with drag performers ## Marsha P. Johnson LGBTQ+ rights activist who fought for homeless youth and AIDS patients. > She even changed her name to marsha p. johnson, with the p standing for 'pay it no mind' ## Sylvia Rivera Stonewall veteran who supported transgender rights and the black liberation movement. > She had a very hard upbringing, with the early death of her mother by suicide and an absent father ## Pauli Murray Civil rights activist and first black woman to become an episcopal priest. > They became very active in the civil rights movement in the 1930s. Murray worked on ending segregation on public transportation and was ultimately arrested for it ## Qiu Jin Chinese feminist who fought for women's rights during the qing dynasty. > Jin lived during the qing dynasty, a time that was very restrictive for women; she worked to increase women's rights when it came to education, marriage, and clothing ## Noor Khan World war ii spy who worked with the allied forces in paris. > She was kept as a prisoner and tried to escape twice. She was tortured for information, but refused to give anything up ## Haben Girma First woman with deafblindness to graduate from harvard law school. > She doesn’t like thinking of anything as impossible, and says that this attitude is the easy way out ## Judith Love Cohen Aerospace engineer who worked on apollo 13 and minuteman missiles. > Judith's work on the ags was one of the main factors that helped save many lives during the mission, when the module had to be used for landing after the oxygen tank exploded ## Begum Rokeya Bengali muslim author who founded girls' schools in india. > She founded a girls' school at a time in india when education was seen as something only men should have the privilege of pursuing ## Mary Dixon Kies First woman to hold a patent in her own name. > Kies was granted a patent in 1809 for her method of weaving straw, which she used to create hats ## Katherine Johnson NASA mathematician who helped end world war ii. > She later wrote or co-wrote 26 papers for nasa. Johnson went on to play major roles in several nasa projects, including the mercury program, freedom 7, apollo 11, and the space shuttle program ## Bobbi Gibb and Katherine Switzer First women to run the boston marathon. > Gibb was the first woman to complete the boston marathon. She had grown up running and loved it. She regularly ran distances longer than a marathon ## Rosalind P. Walter Philanthropist behind rossi the riveter. > Walter grew up in new york. She joined many other women when world war ii hit, making wartime vehicles on the home front for the men and boys fighting overseas ## Joan Clarke Mathematician who broke the enigma code during world war ii. > This code was thought to be impossible to break, was always changing, and was ultimately seen as one of the keys to ending the war if broken ## Lillian Moller Gilbreth Scientist who studied industrial engineering and human factors. > She held several patents, authored several books, and earned a phd in psychology from brown university ## Key takeaway 17 women made significant historical impacts across fields like science, civil rights, and LGBTQ+ advocacy.