Mae Jemison (October 17, 1956 -

Mae Jemison became one of the most famous women in history on September 12, 1992, because she was the first black woman in space.

Jemison was inspired by the accomplishment of Sally Ride, when in 1983, Ride became the first woman to travel in space.

Before Mae Jemison joined the space program, she was already a medical doctor, having first earned her undergraduate degree at Sanford, and later earning her M.D. from Cornell Medical College in 1981.

At the beginning of her college career, she was somewhat of a standout, because she entered college at age 16.

Immediately after Jemison left medical school and completed her internship, she went off to join the Peace Corps as a medical officer.

A note of trivia about Mae Jemison that most people do not know is the fact that her biggest inspiration for joining the space program was Nichelle Nichols, the black actress who portrayed Ulhura on the Star Trek series.

After her famous and only space orbit aboard the space shuttle Endeavor in 1992, Jemison retired from NASA - much to their dismay.  The space agency was publicly upset about her departure because they spent  a lot of money training her, and they invested so much in her because of her status as the first black woman in space.

After she left NASA, she founded a bio-tech company called BioSentient Corporation.  


In 2006, Dr. Jemison participated in the critically acclaimed PBS documentary "African American Lives." The was hosted by Dr. Henry Louis Gates, and it documented the finding of genetic makeup of famous African Americans. Dr. Jemison was surprised to learn that she is 13% East Asian.

Dr. Jemison has many guest speaking engagements and she is a professor at Cornell College.  She is modest about her "celebrity" and "role model" status, because she believes that anyone has the potential to be a role model in someone's life. 

Andrea Jung (1959 - )

Andrea Jung is Chairman and CEO of Avon. She was born in Toronto, Canada, and she was destined to be a success.

 Her mother is a chemical engineer, and her father is a partner at an architectural firm. Jung was raised in Wellesley, Massachusetts, and educated at Princeton University.

During her career, Andrea Jung first worked as an employee of Bloomingdales, she served as executive vice president of Neiman Marcus, and as a senior vice president of I. Magnin.

She launched her career with Avon Products, Inc. in 1994. When she first joined Avon, her role was president of product marketing.

Along with her daily duties, she sits on the board of directors of Avon, General Electric (GE), and Apple, Inc.

Jung graces the list of Forbes 100 Most Powerful Women each and every year it is published. Andrea Jung is indeed one of the most famous women in history.

Valentina Tereshkova (March 6, 1937)

Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova is a retired Soviet cosmonaut, and was the very first woman in space, and the first civilian in space.

She was chosen from a pool of more than 400 applicants, who were then reduced down to 5 finalists.

The Mission

On June 16, 1963, she successfully piloted Vostok 6 into space for a 3 day mission. Her goal was to perform tests on her body and mental state in order to document the reaction to spaceflight on the female body.

Her Civilian Life

Before she was recruited and selected as a cosmonaut, Valentina Tereshkova was a worker in a textile factory, and an amateur parachutist.

Her Life after Being the First Woman in Space

The first group of female cosmonauts were disassembled in 1969. After that time, she became a member of the Soviet Communist Party. When the Soviet Union fell, Valentina Tereshkova retired from political life.

Tereshkova's role as the first woman in space makes her one of the most famous women in history.

About the Author

My name is Rachelle Williams.

I'm just a girl who took a Women's History class in college, and was both impressed by the enormous contributions of women in history, and appalled by the fact that many of their contributions are not well known.

I created the Famous Women in History blog so that I could share the stories of accomplished and important women with anyone who might be interested in learning.

About Famous Women in History Blog

The Famous Women in History Blog is a celebration of the signfigant role that women have played in the history of the world.

It examines and profiles famous women in history from all fields and sectors, all ethnicities and religions, and all socio-economic backgrounds.

This blog also features women who are making history today, and the unsung female heroes who are making a difference in the lives of others.

If you want to learn about the important contributions of famous women in history, you have found the right place.