( CNN ) All of these women left a mark on the world that would change people 's thinking for decades -- in some cases centuries -- to come . They wrote books that revolutionized people 's view of society ; made scientific discoveries that transformed medicine as we know it ; and brought about laws that shook up the establishment . In celebration of International Women 's Day on March 8 , Leading Women takes a look at just seven of the many females throughout history who changed the world for the betterment of all . The American author 's best-selling 1852 novel `` Uncle Tom 's Cabin '' helped popularize the anti-slavery movement . Legend has it Abraham Lincoln greeted Beecher Stowe at the White House by saying : `` So you 're the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war , '' in reference to the civil war . Her novel followed the life of black slave Uncle Tom , and was the second best-selling book of the 19th century after the Bible . British suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst founded the Women 's Social and Political Union ( WSPU ) , a group known for extreme forms of protest such as chaining themselves to railings and going on hunger strikes . `` We are here , not because we are law-breakers ; we are here in our efforts to become law-makers , '' she said during a court trail in 1908 . Sadly Pankhurst never lived to see her dream become reality , dying three weeks before a law was passed giving women equal voting rights with men . `` What is done can not be undone , but one can prevent it happening again '' -- Anne Frank 's `` Diary of a Young Girl . '' The wisdom and wit of 13-year-old Jewish schoolgirl Anne Frank , written while hiding in Amsterdam during the Second World War , is one of the most widely-read books in the world with over 30 million copies sold . Her story of life under German occupation is a powerful record that has been translated into 67 languages and adapted for both film and theater , with her home itself turned into a museum . Frank died in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1945 , just weeks before it was liberated . French existentialist philosopher Simone de Beauvoir 's 1949 book `` The Second Sex '' became a landmark feminist work . It analyzed the treatment and perception of women throughout history , and was deemed so controversial that the Vatican put in on the Index of Prohibited books . `` All oppression creates a state of war ; this is no exception , '' said De Beauvoir , who along with partner Jean Paul Sartre was one of the most influential thinkers of the 20th century . British chemist and x-ray crystallographer Rosalind Franklin 's research was key in revealing the structure of DNA . Her x-ray photographs of the double helix were used by scientists Francis Crick , James Watson , and Maurice Wilkins , who in 1962 were jointly awarded a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their work on the DNA model . However Franklin missed out on a Nobel Prize herself , dying from ovarian cancer in 1958 at 37 . American Billie Jean King was one of the greatest competitors Wimbledon had ever seen , taking home a whopping 20 titles . But she is perhaps best known for a one-off match dubbed `` The Battle of Sexes '' against Bobby Riggs in 1973 . The bespectacled 29-year-old King beat 55-year-old Riggs in front of a worldwide television audience of 50 million . She later went on to form the Women 's Tennis Association and has campaigned for equal prize money for female players . `` When we plant trees , we plant the seeds of peace and hope , '' said 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winning environmentalist Wangari Maathai . The Kenyan political activist founded the Green Belt Movement in 1977 in an effort to empower rural women who had started reporting their streams were drying up , their food supply was less secure , and they had to walk further than ever before for firewood . The movement has since spread across the world , campaigning on climate change and teaming up with the United Nations Environment Programme . This is by no means the definitive list of women who changed the world , and narrowing it down to just seven was a tough call . Who would you include ? Leave your suggestions in the comments box below .
In celebration of International Women 's Day we look at 20 inspiring women . Remarkable females made huge scientific discoveries and campaigned for equality . Which women have inspired you ? Tweet your answers to @ CNNIwomen .