Timeline: 1901-1950

Image description: A black-and-white portrait-style photo of Nazik al-Mala'ika with 'Iraq' written in both Arabic and English in the background.

Nazik al-Mala’ika

Nazik al-Mala’ika, a ground-breaking Iraqi poet and women’s rights advocate, was one of the first Arab poets to work in free verse instead of the classical rhyme form.
Image description: A black-and-white headshot of Lorena Hickok.

Lorena Hickok

Lorena "Hick" Hickok was a journalist during the U.S. Great Depression and a close friend of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.
Image description: A black-and-white photo of Edna Ferber writing at a desk.

Edna Ferber

Edna Ferber was a short story writer, playwright, and Pulitzer Prize–winning novelist who portrayed strong women characters.
Image description: A black-and-white photo of Maud Neprud Otjen standing in front of bare trees.

Maud Neprud Otjen

Maud Neprud Otjen was the first woman in Wisconsin to be a county superintendent of schools and encouraged women to be involved in civic life.
Image description: A black-and-white headshot of Nellie Wilson.

Nellie Wilson

Nellie Wilson spent her life fighting for employment opportunities for women and was the first African American woman to hold a leadership position in her local steelworkers union.
Image description: A black-and-white headshot of Helen C. White.

Helen C. White

Helen C. White was the first woman to hold a full professorship in the College of Letters and Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Image description: A black-and-white headshot of Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Laura Ingalls Wilder

The first book in author Laura Ingalls Wilder’s popular LITTLE HOUSE series is about Wilder’s childhood in Wisconsin.
Image description: A black-and-white photo of Ruth Harman Walraven standing in front of a plane.

Ruth Harman Walraven

Ruth Harman Walraven was a trailblazing female pilot in the mid-20th century.
Image description: A black-and-white headshot of Dorothy Walker.

Dorothy Walker

Trial lawyer Dorothy Walker was the first female district attorney in Wisconsin.
Image description: An artistic depiction of Emma Toft’s side profile.

Emma Toft

Emma Toft is known as “Wisconsin’s First Lady of Conservation” for her efforts to save an ancient forest in Door County from being destroyed by logging and commercial development.