Susan notes: I've copied and pasted this biographical information and talk unabashedly from the TED website.

In this TED archive video from 1998, paralympic sprinter Aimee Mullins talks about her record-setting career as a runner, and about the amazing carbon-fiber prosthetic legs (then a prototype) that helped her cross the finish line.

Aimee Mullins was born without fibular bones, and had both of her legs amputated below the knee when she was an infant. She learned to walk on prosthetics, then to run -- competing at the national and international level as a champion sprinter, and setting world records at the 1996 Paralympics in Atlanta. At Georgetown, where she double-majored in history and diplomacy, she became the first double amputee to compete in NCAA Division 1 track and field.

Nancy Bird-Walton was born in the New South Wales north coast town of Kew in 1915.

Walton became the first female pilot to get her commercial pilot's licence at the age of 19.

She wanted to fly from the age of four and she was taught to take the controls when she was just 17 by Charles Kingsford Smith.

In a country where only a generation ago it was virtually unknown for women to work outside the home, young Emirati women such as Nadia Zaal are stepping into business leaderships positions with confidence and commitment.

Zaal, who is only in her twenties, is  the CEO of Zaya, an Abu Dhabi-based, family-owned realty company.

"I think women today are living in golden times and all you need is belief and dedication.

"Women are taking up the top and the most coveted positions in the professional field. It all boils down to what you believe in and how focused you are on realising your dreams. If you think positive and are aware of what you want in your life, it will manifest."

SUCHITRA BAJPAL CHAUDRAY
Gulf News (UAE)

Talk show host Oprah Winfrey, one of the most powerful women in the world today, delivered the commencement address at Stanford University on June 16, 2008.

Here is the full text of her speech (to watch the video, click here):

Thank you, President Hennessy, and to the trustees and the faculty, to all of the parents and grandparents, to you, the Stanford graduates. Thank you for letting me share this amazing day with you.

The idea for this website for and about amazing women was born years ago, and I’ve been doing my best to make it happen for a long time. That's OK, it's how it's meant to be.

I still face countless obstacles – it seems every time I turn around there’s some new hurdle to overcome. But amazingwomerock.com is my joy, my passion, and my purpose. I will never give up. I have faith that this is what I'm meant to do, it's my small part in making positive change.