25 historical photos of women who have left their mark

Photographs don't just capture moments and freeze them for posterity. Some photographs are also part of the story itself and tell us incredible stories of the people in them.

These are some of the most powerful historical photographs of women who helped change the world and that they passed to posterity.

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Historical photographs of women who have made history

These are the most iconic images of women in history because of the power that the courage of their protagonists gives off.

1. The first war correspondent

In this stunning photo of Margaret Bourke White the courage of this adventurous photographer is demonstrated. In it, she is seen preparing her camera, perched on one of the gargoyles of the Chrysler Building. This was the highest in the world when the photograph was taken, in 1930.

Her courage and courage led her to be the first female war correspondent and the first to work for Life magazine. Some of the most iconic images in her history are her work.

2. First woman to run the Boston Marathon with a bib

One of the most iconic historical photographs of women is that of Kathrine Switzer, the first woman to run the Boston Marathon while enrolled. In 1967 this test could only be performed by male athletes, but Kathrine Switzer enrolled under the acronym K. Switzer and she started her race with number 261.

One of her commissioners realized that it was a woman who was running, so he tried to stop her and rip her number off her. Her boyfriend and other runners helped her to continue the race and finish the competition. Although she was later disqualified, this gesture inspired the fight for equality, and in 1972 women could officially participate in the competition.

3. A woman hitting a neo-Nazi with her purse

Another of the most iconic photographs in history with a woman as the protagonist is this snapshot. She was taken in Sweden in 1985, during a demonstration by supporters of the Nordic National Party, of neo-Nazi ideology.

The protagonist of the capture is Danuta Danielsson, of Polish origin and whose mother had been in Nazi concentration camps. She did not hesitate to show her rejection of neo-Nazi supporters by hitting one with her purse. Photographer Hans Runesson captured that mythical moment that has remained as a symbol of rejection of the extreme right.

4. Muslim woman helps hide her Jewish neighbor

One of the most inspiring historical photographs of women is this snapshot taken in Sarajevo in 1941. It shows a Muslim woman, Zejneba Hardaga, accompanying a Jewish woman and her children down the street, whom she hid from the Nazis in her house.

Zejneba covers her neighbor's arm with her hijab to hide the Star of David that she carries on her arm, a symbol that would betray her as a Jew. A powerful image with brave women as protagonists.

5. The 'Witches of the night'

This was the nickname of the 588th Night Bombardment Regiment of the Soviet Union during World War II, an all-female combat air unit, all voluntary and in their early twenties.

This was the most decorated female unit in the Soviet Air Force, as their attacks were most effective and wreaked much havoc on the enemy. German soldiers nicknamed them "witches of the night" because the sound of their planes arriving reminded them of brooms crossing the sky.

6. Pioneer of aviation

This historic photograph shows Amelia Earhart, the first female aviator to cross the Atlantic Ocean alone and in making the longest distance flown without stopping and in the shortest time.

She tried to perform the feat of being the first woman to cross the world on the equator, but her plane disappeared. while she flew over the Pacific Ocean, becoming one of the most mediatic and mysterious disappearances of the story.

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7. Women in shorts

Is historical photograph of two women with bare legs shows the buzz that the shorts' first appearance caused. It was the first time that bare legs were shown in public in the city of Toronto, where the photo was taken in 1937.

8. A woman wins 'the battle of the sexes'

This historical photograph is an icon for women, as it shows the moment when tennis player Billie Jean King wins the so-called “battle of the sexes” in 1973. This match was the result of the challenge of his opponent, Bobby Riggs, who affirmed that men were superior to women in sport and proposed to prove it with a match. Billie Jean King showed him how wrong she was by leaving a snapshot as symbolic as it is powerful.

9. The first professional skateboarder

Ellen O'Neal was one of the best skaters of the 1970s and the first professional female skater. She helped define and give an image to the sport, as well as popularize it after skating on television shows.

10. The first woman to fly into space

Valentina Tereshkova is a Russian engineer who she managed to be the first woman to go to space, as well as being the first civil person to do so. She managed to pass more than 400 hopefuls to pilot the Volstok 6, which was launched in June 1963.

11. The first mother in space

This iconic image shows Anna Lee Fisher, American astronaut known for being the first mother to fly into space. She was part of flight 14 of the space shuttle program a year after the birth of her first daughter, thus demonstrating that the woman could be more than just a mother.

12. The woman who took the man to the moon

Is another iconic historical photograph It shows Margaret Hamilton, a software engineer at MIT, together with the code for the space program that she had developed that allowed Apollo 11 to land on the moon.

13. An icon of the Civil War

Another of the most emblematic historical photographs of women is the one that shows Marina Ginestà, a 17-year-old young communist militant, posing on the terrace of the Hotel Colón in Barcelona in 1936. The youth and intrepid attitude of the protagonist of it made this photograph would become an icon of the Spanish Civil War.

14. French resistance

This photograph shows another female war icon. In it appears Simone Segouin, a member of the French resistance against the German occupation during World War II. She was awarded the war cross for her performances.

15. The first woman to travel the world on a motorcycle

This photo shows Elspeth Beard, the first woman to go around the world on a motorcycle. She spent 3 years touring the world on her BMW R 60/6, covering more than 77,000 kilometers.

16. The first woman to pose in a swimsuit

Another iconic historical female photograph showing Australian swimmer Annette Kellerman, the first woman to swim across the English Channel. To protest against the uncomfortable and bulky swimsuits required by women of that time, she posed publicly in a tight one-piece swimsuit in 1907, which earned him an indecency arrest.

17. Only woman to receive the US Medal of Honor

This historic photograph shows Mary Edwards Walker, who for her work during the Civil War was awarded the highest distinction for bravery in the U.S. Army, the Medal honorary.

She was a woman ahead of her time and a pioneer in the fight for feminism. She also highlighted her struggle to be able to wear men's clothing, which earned her many arrests throughout her life. Upon her death, she was allowed to be buried in a male suit.

18. First professional tattoo artist

Maud Wagner is known to be the first woman to tattoo professionally, at a time when he was still in low esteem. Her work as a trapeze artist and contortionist in a circus allowed her to travel throughout the country spreading this art form.

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19. Samurai woman

Photograph showing a female samurai, known as onna-bugeisha. These women had more presence in ancient Japan, where society was very matriarchal.

20. Little rock nine

One of the most iconic historical photographs of women is the one that shows Elizabeth Eckford trying to attend classes at Little Rock High School. Central, in which they continued to prohibit the entry of African-American students, despite having outlawed racial segregation in public schools on the day previous.

All of this happened in 1957 and was an important step for the civil rights movement in the United States. This image is a symbol for the fight against racism.

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21. Woman putting away a gun during a protest

Gloria Richardson Dandridge was another prominent activist in the Civil Rights Movement in America. In this photograph taken in 1963 she is shown removing the barrel of a rifle from a national guard during protests in Cambridge; Maryland.

22. End of racial segregation on buses

But if there is a photo symbolizing the civil rights movement in America, that's the famous snapshot of Rosa Parks sitting in front of a white man on a bus.

The photograph was prepared the day after the racial segregation on the buses was declared unconstitutional. This achievement was achieved thanks to acts of protest like the one Rosa Parks had a time before, when she refused to give her seat to a white man.

23. Flower power

This photograph was taken by Marc Riboud, showing one more example of the “flower power” movement, this time starring Jane Rose Kasmir, a young pacifist protesting in a demonstration against the war of the Vietnam. This image became an icon of the peace movement.

24. Baton Rouge protests

This photograph is recent, but already has gone down in history for its visual power and for the integrity that the protagonist of it shows. In it, Ieshia Evans is seen peacefully facing a line of police officers, during protests over the deaths of two young African-Americans at the hands of the police in 2016.

25. Defiant woman before a far-right parade

Another recent historical photograph is this one also taken in 2016, in which Tess Asplund is shown facing a demonstration called by the Nordic Resistance Movement, an ideology group from extreme right. The photograph captivated by its symbolism and for the courage of the activist who tries to stop the march with her fist raised.

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