Women Worth Knowing
Discover the remarkable women who changed everything
The women behind the discoveries, inventions, movements and ideas that changed how we live.
Story of the Week
Malala Yousafzai
1997–Present / Education Activism
Youngest Nobel Peace Prize laureate at age 17
Malala Yousafzai (born 1997) is a Pakistani activist for girls' education. After surviving a Taliban assassination attempt in 2012, she became the youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate, winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 at age 17.
Read Malala’s story →The Index
Explore remarkable women
Technology · 1815–1852
Ada Lovelace
Created the first computer algorithm and envisioned the future potential of computing machines
Science · 1912–1997
Chien-Shiung Wu
Conducted the experiment that disproved the law of conservation of parity in physics
Social Change · 800–880
Fatima al-Fihri
Founded the University of al-Qarawiyyin in 859 CE, the world's oldest continually operating university
Technology · 2005–Present
Gitanjali Rao
TIME's first-ever Kid of the Year for technological innovations
Medicine · 1947–2020
Hawa Abdi
Transformed her family property into a refuge providing medical care and shelter to 90,000 displaced people during Somalia's civil war
Technology · 1914–2000
Hedy Lamarr
Co-invented frequency-hopping technology, the foundation for WiFi, GPS, and Bluetooth