Comics Luisa Capetillo (1879-1922) The Activist Arrested For Wearing Pants In 1915, this rowdy Puerto Rican activist was arrested for wearing pants in public. It wouldn't be the last time she wore pants, or got arrested.
Comics Cornelia Sorabji (1866-1954) Protector. Reformer. Lawyer. One of the first Indian women to practice law, she fought against -- and inside of -- a system that held no room for her.
Comics Soraya Tarzi (1899-1968) The Human Rights Queen of Afghanistan 1920s Afghanistan was a progressive and rapidly-modernizing country in large part to the most powerful, empathic, and maligned queen it had ever seen.
The Mirabal Sisters (1924/27/35-1960) The Sisters Who Toppled a Dictatorship When a cruel dictator ruined this Dominican Republic family, these sisters gave their lives to end his.
Stephanie St. Clair (1897-1969) Harlem's Queen of Numbers This audacious black gangster fought the Italian mob for control of Harlem and won, taunting them in full-page newspaper ads as she went.
Mekatilili wa Menza (c.1860-c.1925) The widow who beat the British through ecstatic dance When colonial powers went too far, she rebelled in the most stylish way possible: dancing from town to town. It was surprisingly effective.
Naziq al-Abid (1898-1959) The Sword of Damascus She traded a life of privilege for one spent fighting for justice on both literal and political battlefields so tirelessly that even exiling her five times couldn't keep her down.
Osh-Tisch (1854-1929) Princess of Two Spirits The last Crow nation baté (Two Spirit mystic) in history, she earned her name -- which means "Finds Them and Kills Them" -- by tirelessly fighting to preserve her way of life.
Ida B. Wells (1862-1931) Princess of the Press One of the first anti-lynching advocates, she risked her life for decades to report on the truth when nobody would believe her.
Sojourner Truth (1797-1883) The Mother Who Sued to Save Her Kids When her kid was stolen from her, this ex-slave successfully sued to get him back; she then went on to become a forceful speaker for abolition across the United States.