March is Women’s History Month, it first had its origins as a national holiday in 1981 passing the bill of requesting the week of March 7th as “Women’s History Week.” A few years later Congress passed a bill declaring all of March as “Women’s History Month.” Many women around the world have made an impact on today’s society and although it is difficult to list only a small percentage of the remarkable women who have changed the world, here are my top 5.

1. Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, also known as RBG, was a former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States until her passing in September 2020. RBG was a strong leader of women’s rights and argued for gender equality. Before 1974 women were not allowed to sign a mortgage or have a bank account without a male co-signer but RBG made it possible.

2. Harriet Tubman

Tubman was an escaped slave who helped hundreds of slaves gain their freedom by the Underground Railroads. She also served as a nurse to the Union troops during the civil war and was a spy. She is often referred to as the “Moses of her people.”

3. Mary Edwards Walker

Mary Edwards Walker was a surgeon, women’s rights advocate, and spy. She was arrested for dressing like a man to which she responded “I do not wear men’s clothes, I wear my own clothes.” She is also the only woman to ever receive the Medal of Honor.

4. Margaret Sanger

Margaret Sanger was an American Activist who popularized the word “birth control,” opening the first birth control clinic that evolved into today’s Planned Parenthood.

5. Michelle Obama

As the first lady, Michelle Obama was a role model for women and worked as an advocate for poverty awareness, education, physical activity, and reversing child obesity.