10 Amazing Mothers Throughout History

This Mother's Day, let your mother know how much you appreciate all that she does and join us in recognizing the women who helped give mothers a place of respect. (Note: The women included in this Buzzfeed are listed by the year they were born)

1. Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896)

Harriet Beecher Stowe was a lifelong abolitionist who wrote "Uncle Tom's Cabin," a novel which some say gave the anti-slavery movement the energy and drive to advance change. Stowe was one of the most influential women of her time and of the abolitionist movement, all while raising seven children.

2. Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815-1902)

Elizabeth Cady Stanton worked tirelessly as an American woman suffrage activist while raising seven children. Her strategies and tenacious attitude helped fundamentally shift how society viewed women and mothers everywhere. Without Stanton, women certainly wouldn't have gained suffrage for many more years, and we thank her for her service.

3. Marie Curie (1867-1934)

Marie Curie worked as one of the most influential and important female scientists of the 20th century. Curie's studies of radioactivity led her to discover two elements, improve the treatment of cancer and win two Nobel Prizes. And she did all of this while raising her daughter, Irene Joliot-Curie, who also won a Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Marie Curie was certainly a trailblazer for women intellectuals everywhere.

4. Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962)

Eleanor Roosevelt was the longest serving First Lady of the United States, one of the first US Delegates to the United Nations, the first Chair of the UN Commission on Human Rights and the mother of six children. She was widely respected for her work on labor rights, African-American rights, veterans rights and gender equality. Eleanor Roosevelt changed the role of the First Lady fundamentally and proved to be one of the most influential women in the world.

5. Margaret Thatcher (1925 - 2013)

Margaret Thatcher served as the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, where she earned the nickname "the Iron Lady." Although we may not agree with all of her policies, she laid the groundwork for other women to climb the political ladder while raising two children.

6. Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933-)

Ruth Bader Ginsburg is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States and a pretty amazing woman in general. R.B.G. attended Cornell University, Harvard University and Columbia University before becoming the first tenured woman at Columbia while raising two women.

She was diagnosed with colon cancer and did not miss a day on the bench. At the age of 81, Ginsburg can crank out 20 pushups without breaking a sweat. Ruth Bader Ginsburg is an inspiration to women everywhere and is just plain awesome.

7. Hillary Rodham Clinton (1947-)

Hillary Rodham Clinton is perhaps one of the most politically accomplished women in the history of the United States. Hillary has been the First Lady of Arkansas, the First Lady of the United States, a United States Senator and the US Secretary of State. Hillary won more Presidential primaries/delegates than any other woman in the history of the United States. She has also fought for the rights of women, the LGBTQA community and other oppressed people throughout the world. Largely regarded as one of the most powerful women in the world, Hillary is mother to her daughter Chelsea.

8. Benazir Bhutto (1953 – 2007)

Benazir Bhutto served as the first Prime Minister of a Muslim country. Educated at Oxford University, Benazir was the first woman in Pakistan to lead a political party, the Pakistan People's Front. She was sworn in as Prime Minister at the young age of 35, turning Pakistan from a dictatorship into a democracy. She was named a winner of the United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights, all while raising three children.

9. Michelle Obama (1964-)

Michelle Obama is the current First Lady of the United States and a mother to two daughters, Malia and Sasha. Michelle graduated from Princeton University and Harvard Law School, after which she worked as a lawyer in Chicago, Illinois. Michelle has been an outspoken advocate for children's health and has worked to promote awareness of inequality and injustice, both in the US and abroad.

10. J.K. Rowling (1965-)

J.K. Rowling started off as an unemployed, single mother struggling to make ends meet. Today, she's credited with creating a generation of readers via the "Harry Potter' series. J.K. Rowling is now married with three kids, but she managed to make magic happen as a single parent with nothing but a pen and a dream.