1. Mary Shelly
GiphyWhen most people turn 21, they get trashed. When Mary Shelly turned 21, she published her most famous novel: "Frankenstein," and invented the genre of science-fiction.
2. Claudette Colvin
GiphyHeard of Rosa Parks? Well, this 15-year-old firecracker actually pulled that move first. She pioneered the road of pacifism in not yielding her seat to a white man and was arrested in Alabama as a young leader of the Civil Rights movement.
3. Malala Yousafzai
GiphyWhere do I start with this angel? Malala was only eleven when she started writing articles for the BBC, describing her life under Taliban rule. When she was 15, Malala advocated for Pakistani girls' education and, in turn, a terrorist group shot her in the head. She survived. By the time she was young and sweet (only 17), she received the Nobel Peace Prize.
4. Joan of Arc
GiphyJoan rose from poverty at the age of 15 to head her beloved French army during the battle at Joan Orléans. The French won. Experts argue that this decisive victory made England decide not to conquer France during the Hundred Years War. A national heroine with God's backing? Yes, please.
5. Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor, A.K.A. Lorde
GiphyThis Kiwi was 16 when she broke into the music business and a short year later, she won a Grammy!
6. Mary, mother of Jesus
Arguably the first evangelist and one of the most popular saints, the Virgin Mary birthed Jesus of Nazareth (and did a whole bunch of existence-altering activities that I recommend you read for yourself in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) when she was probably 12.
7. Bindi Irwin
GiphyNow 20 years old, Bindi has always cared about carrying on her father's legacy of conservation and the respectful awe of nature. She started early with this mission by presenting a 26-part wildlife documentary at nine years old.
8. Jazz Jennings
GiphyJazz Jennings, a transgender girl, is famous for being one of the youngest publicly documented people to proudly identify as transgender in America. She was born in 2000!
9. Mo'Ne Davis
GiphyBeing 13 is challenging, but Mo'Ne did it better than all of us when she challenged gender stereotypes in athletics. She was the first girl to earn a pitch a flawless shutout and win the game in all of Little League World Series history.
10. Trisha Prabhu
GiphyThis lovely human is a teenage advocate for anti-bullying and the brilliant inventor of the patented ReThink™ Technology, which aids servers in detecting and ending online hate.
11. Emma Gonzalez
GiphyDon't call B.S. on this girl's power. As a high school senior she survived the Parkland shooting and, as a brave response, co-founded the gun-control advocacy group Never Again.
12. Cleopatra VII
GiphyBow down, literally. After coming to the throne at 18, Cleopatra ruled over Egypt for nearly three decades.
13. Kylie Jenner
GiphyWhat can I say? Jenner is expected to become the youngest billionaire with her massively successful business. I didn't say it, Forbes did.
14. Eva Peron, A.K.A. Evita
Giphy
While this Argentine woman was under 25 and married to her nation's president, Juan Perón, she became a vital symbol for the lower economic classes through unofficial political finessing.
15. Helena Rubinstein
GiphyAn immigrant and cosmetics entrepreneur, Rubenstein was the founder of Helena Rubinstein Incorporated, which made her one of the world's richest women at a young age. Lipstick holds influence.
16. Rosalind Franklin
GiphyWhile all women on this list are under appreciated, Rosalind might take the cake for being stripped of recognition. Undercut by her male peers, she was at university when she discovered the double helix molecular structure of DNA, changing science forever but getting zero credit until she died.
17. Mirabai
GiphyA Hindu saint and devotee of Sri Krishna who defied social norms for her faith, need I say more?
18. Rowan Blanchard
Giphy
Known just as much for her activism as her acting, Rowan Blanchard takes ownership of her voice for the next generation.
19. Alexandra Scott
Despite only living four years, Alexandra Scott left the world brighter than she found it. Before she began kindergarten, she ran an inspirational lemonade stand to raise money for childhood cancer research. Touched by her testimony and drive, people around the world set up their own lemonade stands to raise money for her cause. By the time of her passing, she had raised a million dollars.
20. Ruby Bridges
GiphyA symbol of peaceful progress, Rubi Bridges was the first African-American child to desegregate an all-white elementary school.
21. Capri Everitt
In the least selfish move of anyone's adolescences, Capri Everitt was eleven when she started raising unreal amounts of money for orphans. Using her voice to make a positive impact, she traveled to dozens of countries and sweetly sang the nation's anthem in the national language. Funny what happens when you don't silence historically oppressed groups, huh?
22. Simone Biles
GiphyPrepare to feel unathletic. Simone Biles is the most decorated American gymnast, with 19 shiny Olympic and World Championship medals before she was legally allowed to drink.
23. Rupi Kaur
Giphy
Rupi Kaur was in college, unsure of her path (#relatable) when she decided to self-publish a poetry book that was so popular that you've probably seen someone with it in a coffee shop.
24. Anne Frank
With more bravery and composure than most grown people possess, this German-born Jewish girl recorded her emotions in a diary while hiding from the Nazi party. While everyone who reads her work agrees that she deserved the world, her story doesn't have a happy ending. Frank was found and taken to a concentration camp, where she died before she turned 16, leaving her words as her legacy.
25. Mari Andrew
Mari Andrew represents the best of millennials. She is a young writer and illustrator in New York City with a book out. If you haven't checked out her Instagram, I recommend seeing her work. Her pieces will detangle all your frantic, knotty, intrusive thoughts.
Women are really out here trying to do the right thing.
