Marie Curie has been named as the most inspirational woman of all time, in a new campaign.
A survey, carried out by Your Life, has named the top 50 most inspirational women of all time with the physicist and chemist topping the list.
Marie Curie, born in 1867, was a Polish scientist who was famous for her work on radioactivity. Throughout her life, Curie had many notable achievements. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the first person and only woman to win the award twice; and the only person to win twice in multiple sciences.
She also founded the Curie Institutes, leading research centres, in Paris and Warsaw. During the First World War, Curie established the first military field radiological centres, meaning the mobile x-rays could be taken.
Curie died in 1934, aged 66 due to radiation poisoning from carrying around test tubes of radium in her pockets and coming into contact with radiation from x-ray machines.
Florence Nightingale, Anne Frank and Emmeline Pankhurst also feature in the top four. Margaret Thatcher was the highest-ranking politician at ninth, whilst current Prime Minister Theresa May came 20th. Dame Kelly Holmes, Jessica Ennis-Hill CBE and Serena Williams were voted the most inspirational female athletes.
Seven out of ten of those surveyed said that the success and prominence of figures such as German chancellor Angela Merkel and Theresa May, made them feel that the top political jobs were now more open to women.
Engineering, business, politics, law and computer science were found to be the top five career fields more open to females now than ever before. Despite this, over half of those surveyed still thought that many career fields were still not open to women.
Edwina Dunn, Your Life campaign chair said, “Marie Curie and Florence Nightingale deserve this accolade of being named the most inspirational women of all time.”
“They are two brilliant icons whose determination, intelligence and altruism, led incredible scientific advances that changed the world.”
“We want a new generation to be inspired to follow in their footsteps.”
“Positive role models with inspirational qualities make the most profound difference in shifting perceptions of jobs and professions.”
“We want more girls to consider a career in the sciences and be the role models and change makers of tomorrow.”
The survey was conducted ahead of Inspiration Week, which starts next Monday. The week will encourage teenagers to carefully think about their A-Level options and to consider studying maths and physic.
Your Life is a three-year, STEM campaign encouraging and informing young people about STEM subjects, particularly physics and maths. Companies such as BAE Systems, Ford, Johnson & Johnson, Nestle and Shell are all in support of the scheme.
View the full list of the Top 50 Inspirational Women below:
- Marie Curie
- Florence Nightingale
- Anne Frank
- Emmeline Pankhurst
- Queen Elizabeth II
- J K Rowling
- Mother Theresa
- Princess Diana
- Margaret Thatcher
- Jessica Ennis-Hill
- Amelia Earhart
- Joan of Arc
- Judi Dench
- Jane Austen
- Michelle Obama
- Queen Elizabeth I
- Marie Stopes
- Indira Gandhi
- Rosa Parks
- Theresa May
- Kelly Holmes
- Aung San Suu Kyi
- Kate, Duchess of Cambridge
- Oprah Winfrey
- Ada Lovelace
- Dawn French
- Emma Watson
- Serena Williams
- Angelina Jolie
- Hillary Clinton
- Mary Berry
- Billie Jean King
- Aretha Franklin
- Benazir Bhutto
- Cleopatra
- Karen Brady
- Malala Yousafzai
- Mary Quant
- Maya Angelou
- Marilyn Monroe
- Katharine Hepburn
- Billie Holiday
- Debbie Harry
- Venus Williams
- Beyoncé
- Carole King
- Madonna
- Bette Davis
- Twiggy
- Nigella Lawson
