The Greatest Renaissance Women in American History
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People on this list must be 1) American women who 2) have proven expertise in more than one field. Can be from any time in American history.
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Grace Brewster Murray Hopper (née Murray December 9, 1906 – January 1, 1992) was an American computer scientist and United States Navy rear admiral. One of the first programmers of the Harvard Mark I computer, she was a pioneer of computer programming who invented one of the first linkers. She popularized the idea of machine-independent programming languages, which led to the development of COBOL, an early high-level programming language still in use today. Prior to joining the Navy, Hopper earned a Ph.D. in mathematics from Yale University and was a professor of mathematics at Vassar College. Hopper attempted to enlist in the Navy during World War II but was rejected because she was 34 years old. She instead joined the Navy Reserves. Hopper began her computing career in 1944 when she worked on the Harvard Mark I team led by Howard H. Aiken. In 1949, she joined the Eckert–Mauchly Computer Corporation and was part of the team that developed the UNIVAC I computer. At Eckert–Mauchly she began developing the compiler. She believed that a programming language based on English was possible. Her compiler converted English terms into machine code understood by computers. By 1952, Hopper had finished her program linker (originally called a compiler), which was written for the A-0 System. During her wartime service, she co-authored three papers based on her work on the Harvard Mark 1. In 1954, Eckert–Mauchly chose Hopper to lead their department for automatic programming, and she led the release of some of the first compiled languages like FLOW-MATIC. In 1959, she participated in the CODASYL consortium, which consulted Hopper to guide them in creating a machine-independent programming language. This led to the COBOL language, which was inspired by her idea of a language being based on English words. In 1966, she retired from the Naval Reserve, but in 1967 the Navy recalled her to active duty. She retired from the Navy in 1986 and found work as a consultant for the Digital Equipment Corporation, sharing her computing experiences. The U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Hopper was named for her, as was the Cray XE6 "Hopper" supercomputer at NERSC. During her lifetime, Hopper was awarded 40 honorary degrees from universities across the world. A college at Yale University was renamed in her honor. In 1991, she received the National Medal of Technology. On November 22, 2016, she was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama.- Age: Dec. at 85 (1906-1992)
- Birthplace: New York City, New York
- Profession: Programmer, Mathematician, Computer scientist, Scientist
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- Hedy Lamarr, born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler in 1914 in Vienna, Austria, was an Austrian-American actress and inventor who left a significant mark on both the entertainment and scientific communities. She began her acting career in Europe in the early 1930s, but it was her move to Hollywood in 1937 that propelled her to international stardom. Known for her striking beauty and charisma, Lamarr starred in numerous successful films across the '40s and '50s, such as Algiers, Samson and Delilah, and Ecstasy. Her performances were lauded for their depth and nuance, and she quickly became one of the most popular actresses of her time. However, Lamarr's contributions extended beyond the silver screen. Possessing a keen interest in applied sciences and technology, she co-invented an early version of spread spectrum communication, specifically frequency-hopping, during World War II. This invention, initially designed to prevent jamming of Allied torpedoes, would later lay the groundwork for modern technologies like Wi-Fi, GPS, and Bluetooth. Despite the significance of her contribution, Lamarr's work in this field remained largely unrecognized during her lifetime. Lamarr's life was not without controversy. She faced several legal issues and her six marriages garnered significant media attention. Regardless, her legacy as both a pioneering actress and inventor has endured. She was posthumously inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2014, a testament to her lasting impact. Hedy Lamarr's story is a fascinating tale of talent, beauty, and brilliance, a woman who defied the norms of her time to leave a lasting imprint on two very different industries.
- Age: Dec. at 85 (1914-2000)
- Birthplace: Vienna, Austria-Hungary
- Profession: Pin-up girl, Inventor, Scientist, Actor, Engineer
Agree or disagree?- 1Samson and Delilah118 Votes
- 2Algiers91 Votes
- 3Ziegfeld Girl65 Votes
- 4Lady of the Tropics56 Votes
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Sally Ride was an American actress and producer who appeared in "Touched By an Angel," and "Spaceflight."- Age: Dec. at 61 (1951-2012)
- Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, USA
- Profession: Physicist, Astronaut
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Born into a prominent New York family on October 11, 1884, Anna Eleanor Roosevelt emerged from a life marred by loss and loneliness to become an influential figure in twentieth-century politics. Orphaned at a young age, she was sent to live with her grandmother before moving to England to attend Allenswood School. There, she flourished under the mentorship of headmistress Marie Souvestre, who encouraged her to think independently and engage with social issues. Upon returning to the United States, Eleanor entered into a marriage with distant cousin Franklin D. Roosevelt, embarking on a political journey that would lead them both to the White House. Throughout Franklin's presidency, Eleanor transformed the traditionally ceremonial role of First Lady, using it as a platform to champion civil rights, women's issues, and social reforms. Her energetic participation in public policy made her an indispensable partner in FDR's administration. She held 348 press conferences during her tenure, exclusively for female journalists, breaking a barrier in a time when women were typically barred from such events. In the years following her husband's death, Eleanor continued to work tirelessly for societal change. She served as a delegate to the United Nations General Assembly, where she played a pivotal role in drafting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Despite facing criticism and resistance, her unwavering commitment earned her the title "First Lady of the World" by President Harry Truman. Eleanor Roosevelt's pioneering spirit and relentless pursuit of justice have etched her name firmly into the annals of American history, leaving a legacy that continues to inspire generations.- Age: Dec. at 78 (1884-1962)
- Birthplace: New York City, USA, New York
- Profession: Politician, Diplomat, Author, Writer
Agree or disagree?- Maria Goeppert Mayer (June 28, 1906 – February 20, 1972) was a German-born American theoretical physicist, and Nobel laureate in Physics for proposing the nuclear shell model of the atomic nucleus. She was the second woman to win a Nobel Prize in physics, the first being Marie Curie. A graduate of the University of Göttingen, Goeppert Mayer wrote her doctoral thesis on the theory of possible two-photon absorption by atoms. At the time, the chances of experimentally verifying her thesis seemed remote, but the development of the laser permitted this. Today, the unit for the two-photon absorption cross section is named the Goeppert Mayer (GM) unit. Maria Goeppert married Joseph Edward Mayer and moved to the United States, where he was an associate professor at Johns Hopkins University. Strict rules against nepotism prevented Johns Hopkins University from taking her on as a faculty member, but she was given a job as an assistant and published a landmark paper on double beta decay in 1935. In 1937, she moved to Columbia University, where she took an unpaid position. During World War II, she worked for the Manhattan Project at Columbia on isotope separation, and with Edward Teller at the Los Alamos Laboratory on the development of the Teller's "Super" bomb. After the war, Goeppert Mayer became a voluntary associate professor of Physics at the University of Chicago (where Teller and her husband worked) and a senior physicist at the nearby Argonne National Laboratory. She developed a mathematical model for the structure of nuclear shells, for which she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1963, which she shared with J. Hans D. Jensen and Eugene Wigner. In 1960, she was appointed full professor of physics at the University of California, San Diego.
- Age: Dec. at 65 (1906-1972)
- Birthplace: Katowice, Poland
- Profession: Physicist
Agree or disagree? - Elizabeth Blackwell (February 3, 1821 – May 31, 1910) was a British physician, notable as the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States, and the first woman on the Medical Register of the General Medical Council. Blackwell played an important role in both the United States and the United Kingdom as a social and moral reformer, and pioneered in promoting education for women in medicine. Her contributions remain celebrated with the Elizabeth Blackwell Medal, awarded annually to a woman who has made significant contribution to the promotion of women in medicine.Blackwell was initially uninterested in a career in medicine especially after her schoolteacher brought in a bull's eye to use as a teaching tool. Therefore, she became a schoolteacher in order to support her family. This occupation was seen as suitable for women during the 1800s, however, she soon found it unsuitable for her. Blackwell's interest in medicine was sparked after a friend fell ill and remarked that, had a female doctor cared for her, she might not have suffered so much. Blackwell began applying to medical schools, and immediately began to endure the prejudice against her gender that would persist throughout her career. She was rejected from each medical school she applied to, except Geneva Medical College, in which the male students voted on Blackwell's acceptance. In 1847, Blackwell became the first woman to attend medical school in the United States.Blackwell's inaugural thesis on typhoid fever, published in 1849 the Buffalo Medical Journal, shortly after she graduated, was the first medical article published by a female student from the United States. It portrayed a strong sense of empathy and sensitivity to human suffering, as well as strong advocacy for economic and social justice. This perspective was deemed by the medical community as ”feminine”.Blackwell also founded the New York Infirmary for Women and Children with her sister Emily in 1857, and began giving lectures to female audiences on the importance of educating girls. She also played a significant role during the American Civil War organizing nurses.
- Age: Dec. at 89 (1821-1910)
- Birthplace: Bristol, United Kingdom
- Profession: Physician
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