To continue with International Women's Day, which we all celebrated last week, (March 8) I thought it would only be appropriate in my article, this week, to celebrate some of the most important and influential women in history. Enjoy.

1. Cleopatra (69-30 B.C.).

Cleopatra, at the age of only only 17 or 18 , was the queen of Egypt and the last pharaoh. Cleopatra was very intelligent, speaking up to nine different languages and was an outspoken politician.

2. Joan of Arc (1412-1431).

Joan of Arc is a remarkably brave woman of the past and a national hero of France. She cut off all of her hair, dressed like a man, and led the French army to victory in battle of Orleans in 1429.

3. Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906).

An incredibly hard fighter in the movement for women to vote. Susan B. Anthony was also very involved in the fight to end slavery.

4. Harriet Tubman (1820-1913).

Tubman was born a slave. She was an abolitionist and became a conductor on the Underground Railroad. This was a secret network of people and safe houses to help escaped slaves find their way to free states. Harriet led over 300 slaves to freedom through the Underground Railroad. Harriet was nothing less than incredibly brave and outrageously courageous.

5. Elizabeth Blackwell (1821-1910).

After being turned down by notorious medical schools throughout the nation because of her sex, she was finally accepted and attended Geneva College in New York. She was the first American woman to receive a medical degree.

6. Marie Curie (1867-1934).

First woman to win a Nobel prize and did so twice. Also was the first woman to earn a doctorate in Europe. Marie Curie's scientific findings led to the discovery of radioactivity and radium.

7. Amelia Earhart (1897-1937).

Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly across the Atlantic! Her brave dreams opened a world of opportunities for women.

8. Mother Teresa (1910-1997).

Mother Teresa devoted her entire life to helping those less fortunate, the sick and the poor, throughout her entire life.

9. Rosa Parks (1913-2005).

Rosa Parks is known to most as the "first lady of civil rights." She was a determined fighter in the civil rights movement and is most known for her refusal to giving up her bus seat to white passenger in the "whites only" section and move to the back of the bus. Her goal was to end segregation laws.

10. LaDonna Harris (1931-).

Harris is most recognized as the President and Founder of Americans for Indian Opportunity, a national multi-tribal organization whose goal is to develop economic opportunities and resources for Indians. Harris has also spoken for the rights of children and women as well as for the elimination of poverty and discrimination.

11. Oprah Winfrey (1954-).

Oprah is an extremely powerful woman. She has won several Emmy's, owns her own talk show, and started her own TV production company. Oprah has also been a spokesperson for women's health and family issues, as well as for the prevention of child abuse. Oprah enjoys helping others and is a very influential woman.

12. Lauren Hill (1995-2015).

Lauren Hill, one of my very own heroes. I was fortunate enough to meet Lauren before her passing. I played against her in a basketball tournament at Baldwin Wallace, which was one of the last games of her life. This girl is one of the most influential and courageous of our time. Lauren Hill is a role model for women all ages, she fought long and hard. Meeting her was nothing short of an honor. She has raised awareness of DIPG (diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma), a cancer of the brainstem that primarily affects children. This diagnosis came as a total surprise to Hill and her family, but her family says she never lost her positivity or tenaciousness. Hill should be recognized as a woman of honor, somebody for everybody to look up to.

We run the world!

Sources:

http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/women/not...
http://www.biography.com/people/rosa-parks-9433715
http://www.today.com/health/lauren-hill-basketball...