Ella Baker  (1903 - 1986)
Premier behind-the-scenes organizer and co-founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), headed by Martin Luther King, Jr. Baker also helped establish the civil rights movement's foremost student organization, the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee.

Lucille Ball  (1911 - 1989)
Undoubtedly one of the best known and best loved television comediennes of all time. The "I Love Lucy Show", which began in 1951, is still shown in reruns in more than 70 countries around the world. She was a television pioneer who excelled both in the acting and the production aspects of television.

Ann Bancroft   (1955 - )
First woman to travel across the ice to the North and South Poles. She was the first woman to travel across Greenland on skis, and in 1993, was leader of the American Women's Expedition, a group of four who skied more than 600 miles to the South Pole.

Clara Barton  (1821 - 1912)
Founder of the American Red Cross, Barton ministered to injured soldiers during the Civil War and became known as the "Angel of the Battlefield." Devoted to the organization, she later took to the field, providing relief in the Spanish American War at the age of 77.

Eleanor K. Baum  (1940 - )
Currently serving as the Dean of Engineering at Cooper Union and the Executive Director of the Cooper Union Research Foundation, Dr. Eleanor Baum is the first female engineer to be named dean of a college of engineering in the United States. In 1995, she became the first female president of the American Society for Engineering Education. An electrical engineer who has worked in the aerospace industry, Dr. Baum is a respected leader in recruitment and retention of women in the engineering profession.

Ruth Fulton Benedict  (1887 - 1948)
A student of Franz Boas and mentor to Margaret Mead, Ruth Fulton Benedict was a highly influential anthropologist whose theories tremendously influenced the field of cultural anthropology. Her 1934 Patterns of Culture became an American classic and is still a highly regarded publication today.

Mary McLeod Bethune  (1875 - 1955)
African-American teacher who, with only $1.50, began a school to help educate young African-American women. After developing it into a college, she became a powerful leader, and through her leadership of the National Council of Negro Women, worked to end discrimination and increase opportunities for African Americans.

Antoinette Blackwell  (1825 - 1921)
First American woman ordained a minister by a recognized denomination (Congregational), despite great opposition to women in the ministry. Blackwell was a pastor, mother of seven children, and wrote many books and essays.

Elizabeth Blackwell  (1821 - 1910)
First American woman awarded an M.D. Blackwell founded the New York Infirmary for Women and Children and the Women's Medical College, after having been banned from hospitals in New York. She paved the way for women in medicine.

Emily Blackwell  (1826 - 1910)
Sister of Elizabeth Blackwell, was also a physician. Emily ran the infirmary for women and the medical college for women founded by her sister, providing excellent training for women in medicine.

Amelia Bloomer  (1818 - 1894)
First woman to own, operate and edit a newspaper for women, The Lily. First published in 1849 in Seneca Falls, New York, it became a recognized forum for women's rights issues. She often wore full-cut pantaloons under a short skirt, giving birth to the term "bloomers."

Nellie Bly  (1864 - 1922)
Trail-blazing journalist considered to be the "best reporter in America" who pioneered investigative journalism.

Louise Bourgeois  (1911 - 2010)
One of the world’s most preeminent artists, Louise Bourgeois’s career spanned over seven decades. Best known for her work as a sculptor, Bourgeois used a variety of materials including wood, metal, marble and latex to create works often reflective of her childhood experiences and life relationships. In 1982, Bourgeois became the first female artist to be given a retrospective at The Museum of Modern Art in New York, and in 1997 she was awarded the National Medal of Arts. Her varied and extensive body of work has been displayed in the collections of major museums worldwide.

Margaret Bourke-White  (1904 - 1971)
Trailblazing photographer, recording the Depression, London in the Blitz, Stalin and the Kremlin, World War II and more as the paramount photographer for Life, Fortune and other publications.

Lydia Moss Bradley  (1816 - 1908)
Educator, founder of Bradley University and coeducation advocate. Bradley was a pioneer in business and education, the first female member of a national bank board in the United States. Noted as a philanthropist who financially supported many social causes, she determined that Bradley University would be for both women and men.

Myra Bradwell  (1831 - 1894)
America's first woman lawyer. When denied permission to practice law in Illinois (despite passing the bar examination) because of her gender, she began publishing The Chicago Legal News, a very successful legal journal. When the laws changed in 1892, Bradwell was admitted to practice in Illinois and in the U.S. Supreme Court.

Mary Breckinridge  (1881 - 1965)
The United States foremost pioneer in the development of midwifery and provision of care to rural areas. Breckinridge founded the Frontier Nursing Service.

Gwendolyn Brooks  (1917 - 2000)
Poet and novelist. Brooks was the first African-American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize (Annie Allen, 1949). She was very active in the Black arts movement.

Pearl S. Buck   (1892 - 1973)
Novelist whose writing evoked two different cultures, American and Asian. Buck won the Pulitzer Prize for The Good Earth and was later the first American woman awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for her body of work.

Betty Bumpers  (1925 - )
Former first lady of Arkansas, Betty Bumpers has dedicated herself to world peace and health initiatives for children across the United States. As First Lady of Arkansas, Mrs. Bumpers spearheaded an immunization program in her state that became a national model. She also co-founded Every Child by Two with Rosalynn Carter, a national immunization program. Mrs. Bumpers is active in the global campaign to eradicate polio.

Charlotte Ann Bunch  (1944 - )
Founder and director of the Center for Women's Global Leadership at Rutgers University. Bunch has helped shape the global feminist movement and created conciousness about gender-based human rights. She is also a leader in national and international networking and advocacy for women.