Hatshepsut- Though not as famous today as Cleopatra VII, Hatshepsut ruled Egypt as Pharoah, even sporting a false beard. Historians consider her reign one of the most successful of ancient Egypt.
Joan of Arc- You really have to give props to a teenage girl who manages to lead the French army to victory (insert snarky Francophobic remark here) all because she is guided by the voice of God.
Katherine Zell- Odds are you’ve never heard of her unless you took a course on the Reformation in college (as I did). She was the wife of a reformation preacher who did some preaching of her own. I don’t have to tell you how radical that was in 1534 when it’s still considered radical in some congregations today.
Elizabeth I- Considering her father was perhaps one of the biggest chauvinistic douchebags in history, it’s even more impressive that she led England into its golden age: a time of Shakespeare, the defeat of the Spanish armada, and exploration that would lead to the building of an empire that circled the globe.
Vesper Holly- Granted she’s fictional, but in a world of young adult books that largely pigeonhole girls as weak or one-dimensional (if they’re smart, they’re unathletic bookworms, e.g.), this heroine of Lloyd Alexander’s series is a breath of fresh air. She’s a young female Indiana Jones, or as The Illyrian Adventure opens, “Miss Vesper Holly has the digestive talents of a goat and the mind of a chess master. She is familiar with half a dozen languages and can swear fluently in all of them. She understands the use of a slide rule but prefers doing calculations in her head. She does not hesitate to risk life and limb- mine as well as her own.”
Michele Obama- The first lady is a class act and is promoting a cause that may be one of the most important topics that need to be addressed in America: obesity. Her campaign to promote healthy eating and regular exercise is long overdue considering the staggering statistics of obesity and the health issues it creates in our country. She even convinced Jay Leno to eat something he hasn’t eaten since 1984: an apple.
Bethany Hamilton- If you’re a competitive surfer and a shark bites off your arm, game over. Except it wasn’t for Hamilton, who overcame the injury and now competes professionally with one arm.
Danica McKellar- The former star of “The Wonder Years” went on to get a degree in mathematics and has written several books that aim to promote math among girls. Because nothing’s more disgusting than hearing a girl brag in a high-pitched voice “I’m no good at math” and giggle, playing into the stereotype that math and science are “boy” subjects. You better get good, sweetheart, before someone embezzles from you because you can’t even balance your checkbook.
This is obviously not an exhaustive list. I just wanted to put some names out there that aren’t the same old go-to’s for this kind of thing.