From 2011: Wangari Maathai, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Dies at 71
A Kenyan environmentalist, she began by paying women a few shillings to plant trees and went on to become the first African woman to win a N…
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Christine Keeler, Central Figure in British ‘Scandal of the Century,’ Is Dead at 75
News of her affair with the government minister John Profumo and other revelations set England abuzz in the early 1960s.
From 2007: Benazir Bhutto, 54, Who Weathered Pakistan’s Political Storm for 3 Decades, Dies
She was the first democratically elected woman to lead a modern Muslim country.
From 1984: Indira Gandhi, Born to Politics, Left Her Own Imprint on India
The dominant figure in Indian politics for nearly two decades, she was elected prime minister four times before being assassinated by her bo…
From 2000: Sirimavo Bandaranaike of Sri Lanka Dies at 84; First Woman Premier
She rose to power in 1960 as a widow and mother of three, becoming the first woman in the world to serve as a prime minister.
From 1997: Mother Teresa, Hope of the Despairing, Dies at 87
She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 for providing care and comfort to the impoverished.
From 2013: Margaret Thatcher, ‘Iron Lady’ Who Set Britain on New Course, Dies at 87
She held the office of prime minister longer than any other British politician in the 20th century, setting her country on a right-leaning e…
From 2007: Vilma Espín, Rebel and Wife of Raúl Castro, Dies at 77
An idealistic socialite who fought alongside Fidel and Raúl Castro in the mountains of Cuba, she was the country’s unofficial first lady …
From 1957: Gabriela Mistral, Poet, Is Dead; Won Nobel Prize for Literature
She was recognized in 1945 for three “Soñetos de la Muerte” (“Sonnets of Death”), which were first published in Chile in 1922.
From 2011: Nancy Wake, Proud Spy and Nazi Foe, Dies at 98
She underwent a wartime metamorphosis, from a fun-loving girl to a highly decorated Resistance fighter.
From 2011: Madame Nhu, Vietnam War Lightning Rod, Dies
The glamorous official hostess in South Vietnam’s presidential palace, she was a politically powerful and often outspoken figure during th…
From 1991: Suicide of Jiang Qing, Mao’s Widow, Is Reported
A former actress who grew up in poverty, she was one of the most hated women in modern Chinese history for her role in the Cultural Revoluti…