Ida Tarbell, Journalist (1857 - 1944) 

Born in Pennsylvania, USA, in 1857, Tarbell was the only woman in her graduating class in 1880.

She became and investigative reporting pioneer whose stories led to the breakup of the Standard Oil Company's monopoly.  More here.

Rachel Louise Carson (May 27, 1907 – April 14, 1964) was an American marine biologist and nature writer whose writings are credited with advancing the global environmental movement.

Carson started her career as a biologist in the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries, and became a full-time nature writer in the 1950s. Her 1951 bestseller The Sea Around Us won her recognition as a gifted writer.

Fearless ocean rower Roz Savage gave up her life as a management consultant to row across the Atlantic in 2005.