Top 10 most famous women of all time

New Delhi: It was a difficult to compile a list of only 10 most famous women of all time, as there were many contenders. There was no set parameters for selecting these women, except the fact that these women left their imprints on the sands of Time. There was a time when people believed that history is a compilation of biographies of only men. Legendary women of the past like Cleopatra and Razia Sultana were exception to this rule. Modern history, no doubt, is dominated by great men, but great women, too, do not lag behind. Long periods of struggle brought their genius to the forefront and the visage of present society is being sculpted by great women as well.While we recognize that there are many worthy women who didn't make the list, here is our best attempt to ascertain the top 10 most famous women throughout history. 1. Mother TheresaPerhaps the most famous woman of the twentieth century is a small, frail-looking nun by the name of Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, who became much better known to the world simply as Mother Teresa. Born in 1910 in Skopje, Macedonia, after leaving for Ireland in 1928 to learn English, she was eventually sent as a missionary to India where she was to teach at the Loreto convent school in Calcutta.It was soon after the end of the Second World War she felt a calling from God to work with the poorest of India's half a million citizens. Establishing the Missionaries of Charity in 1950 with just 13 members, eventually it grew to a staff of 4,000 nuns who would run dozens of orphanages, AIDS hospices, and charity centers worldwide. Her establishment of a hospice for dying destitutes in 1979 eventually won her a Nobel Peace Prize and made her not only a household name, but made the name Mother Teresa synonymous with compassion and charity. 2. Florence NightingaleFlorence Nightingale is known as the founder of modern nursing. She was the daughter of a well-to-do family in England. She was born in Florence, Italy on 12 May 1820. By the time she was 12, she was determined to do ‘something worthwhile'. During the Crimean War, she was put in charge of nursing. She went to battlefield with 38 nurses, cleaned up the huge, dirty building that served as a hospital. Through her efforts thousands of lives were saved. At night, she would visit the sick and the injured, carrying a lamp and so became known as ‘The Lady with the Lamp'.3. Joan of ArcJoan of Arc was born in 1412, in little village of Domremy in France.Joan believed that she had vision from God, and she was determined to save France. When she was just 18 years old, she led her men to victory against English in city of Orleans. Her fame spread everywhere, and the English as well as French thought that she had more than human power. At last, the English were driven far to the north of France. Then Charles, urged by Joan, went to Rheims, and there, in Joan's presence, was crowned king. Joan was later betrayed and accused of being a tool of evil. She was tried, and burned at the stake. Later, she was declared to be a saint by the Catholic Church and to this day she remains the national heroine of France.4. Indira Gandhi Few could deny that she was one of the most powerful political figures, doing much to make India the mighty nation that it is today. A paradoxically well-loved and greatly hated Prime Minister at the same time, Indira Gandhi ruled India on and off for almost twenty years until her death at the hands of Sikh extremists in 1984 (making her the only sitting female head of state ever assassinated). She was also one of only three female heads of state to oversee a military conflict while in office—the other two being Margaret Thatcher of England and Golda Meir of Israel. She was often roundly condemned for implementing an unpopular forced sterilization program in an effort to control the growth of India's quickly burgeoning population.Indira Gandhi shall be remembered for not only changing the course of South Asia's history but also geography, by contributing to the birth of a new nation, Bangladesh. She will also be remembered for suspending the democratic rights of Indians for 19 months by imposing emergency. 5. Catherine II, Empress of Russia Catherine the Great was a German princess. She married Prince Carl Peter Ulrich, the heir to Russian throne. In June 1762, she took an active part in coup against her husband Peter III. He was overthrown and soon killed in an accident, while Catherine became Russia's autocratic ruler. Throughout her long reign, many reforms were undertaken, and territory of Russia was further extended by acquiring lands of southern Ukraine and Crimea. She was one of the greatest of Russian rulers.6. Rosa ParksOn 1 December 1995, she refused to give up her seat for a white passenger. This act of civil disobedience sparked off Montgomery Bus Boycott, which is one of the largest movements against racial segregation. In addition, this launched Martin Luther King, Jr., who was involved with the boycott, to prominence in the civil rights movement. She is a perfect example of how the action of one person can start a chain of reactions that have far reaching results. She died in Detroit at the age of ninety-two on October 24, 2005. City officials in Montgomery and Detroit announced on October 27, 2005 that the front seats of their city buses would be reserved with black ribbons in honor of Parks until her funeral. Her casket was transported to Washington, DC, and taken, aboard a bus similar to the one in which she made her protest, to lie in honor in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda 7. Eva PeronShe was the wife of Argentine President Juan Peron. She founded the charitable Eva Perón Foundation, and the nation's first large-scale female political party, the Female Peronist Party.Her charitable organization built homes for the poor and homeless, and also provided free health care to citizens. On August 22, 1951 the unions held a mass rally of two million people called “Cabildo Abierto” at which they begged Eva Peron to run for vice president. It has been claimed that “Cabildo Abierto” was the largest public display of support in history for a female political figure.8. Catherine of SiennaA scholastic philosopher and theologian, she did not receive any education. She became a lay member of Dominician religious order. She took care of the ill and the poor and dedicated her life to their service. She wrote letters to men and women in authority. Considered one of the greatest works of early Tuscan literature, more than 300 letters have survived. Pope Pius II canonized Catherine in 1461 and she is now one of three female Doctors of the Church. She is also one of the patron saints of Europe.9. Eleanor Roosevelt No first lady ever had more power and prestige than Eleanor Roosevelt. One of the first women elected to the Senate in 1911 and well known for her involvement with many charitable organizations prior to becoming first lady, it wasn't until she moved into the White House in 1933 that she really got into high gear. Eleanor Roosevelt acted as the disabled president's “eyes and ears” at a time when most political wives were delegated to the role of hostess-in-chief. She held regular press conferences, wrote a daily news column, and used her considerable influence with the President to get him to push for and pass child welfare, housing reform and equal rights laws for racial minorities and women. In 1946 she was named a delegate to the newly founded United Nations. In 1947 she became the first chairman of the Commission on Human Rights, during which time she helped draft the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 10. Emmeline PankhurstIn 1889, Emmeline founded Women's Franchise League, which fought to allow married women to allow voting in local elections.In October 1903, she helped found more militant Women's Social and Political Union or WSPU.Like many suffragettes, Emmeline was arrested on numerous occasions. When World War I broke out, she turned her energies to supporting war effort. In 1918, the Representation of People Act gave voting rights to women over 30. She died on 14 June in London, few weeks after Representation of People Act establishing voting equality for men and women was passed.