Let’s look at some of the best mothers in History

Do you know any great women in your life? We’ve come up with a list of some of the best mothers in history. Let us know if you know of any other great women in this world!

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1. Marie Curie

This well-known scientist and mother was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize. One was in 1903 in Physics, and another in 1911 in Chemistry. Using tubes of radioactive gas, Marie set up 220 x-ray stations to help doctors treat bullet wounds and broken bones.

Marie Curie ended up passing away with leukemia, due to radiation exposure. Marie Curie was one of the the best women, as she also raised her two young daughters alone after her husband died in a tragic accident in 1906. One of their daughters went on to co-win a Nobel Prize.

2. Sojourner Truth

Once named Isabella Baumfree, Sojourner Truth and her infant daughter escaped slavery in New York in 1826. Shortly after, she learned that her son was sold, so she raised money for a lawyer and became the first black woman to successfully sue a white man in court. She was able to get her son out of slavery.

3. Abigail Adams

Abigail was the wife of President John Adams and was the second First Lady of the USA. Since her husband was away from home often she single-handedly ran their farm and educated their 5 children, including future President John Quincy Adams.

4. J.K. Rowling

As one of the best mothers out there, J.K. Rowling wrote the first four Harry Potter books as a struggling single mother. Now, she is the president of Gingerbread, an organization that works with single parents and their children to find programs and resources that can help them succeed. 

5. Candy Lightner

In 1980, a drunk driver killed one of this mother’s 13-year-old twin daughters. The driver had three prior convictions for drunk driving and had been arrested just two days before that for a different hit-and-run.

A few months after that tragedy occurred, Candy founded Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) with the goal of trying to stop drunk driving, pass tougher legislation rules, and help victims. This just goes to show the endless love a mother has for her child.

6. Nancy Edison

Nancy Edison’s youngest child of seven was Thomas Alva Edison. When a teacher from school deemed him mentally ill and incompetent, Nancy decided to homeschool him, which is where he started to thrive. Later, it has been discussed that Thomas may have just been dyslexic at that time, before that learning disorder was studied or understood.

7. Angelina Jolie

This Oscar-winning actress has become well known for her charity work that she has don. She started getting involved with supporting refugees and education when she filmed in Cambodia. Angelina then adopted a son from there, as well as a children from Ethiopia and Vietnam. She also has three biological children with Brad Pitt.

8. Alberta King

Alberta Williams King was the mother of Martin Luther King Jr. She played the organ and founded the choir at a Baptist church. Alberta was also involved with multiple women’s groups. She raised her three children with the sense of self-respect and made it clear to them that segregation should never make them feel inferior.

Later, her son was a historically huge part of the struggle against that system she spoke to them about. Just six years after Martin Luther King Jr was killed, Alberta was shot and killed at her organ in her church.

9. Ann Jarvis

This woman actually inspired the movement that made Mother’s Day into a national holiday. Most of her children passed away from various diseases – only four of her thirteen children made it to adulthood.

Because of those hardships, she created Mother’s Day Work Clubs that provided medical care for poor mothers. After Ann passed, her daughter Anna Jarvis wrote speeches and eventually got President Woodrow Wilson to make Mother’s day a national holiday in 1914. Overall, you could say that this makes her one of the best mothers around.

10. Jaqueline Kennedy Onannis

Jackie O. may still be mostly known for being John F. Kennedy’s wife, but there’s so much more to her. After JFK was assassinated, Jackie became a national symbol of strength, and she returned to work as a book editor. Despite her many attributes and duties in this world, nothing was more important to her than being a great mother to her two children, Caroline and John Jr.

11. Eleanor Roosevelt

She was born as Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, but went on to go by her middle name for most of her life. At 19 years old, she was engaged to Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Shortly after being married, she soon became his ‘political right hand‘.

After he was elected President, she held press conferences and gave lectures. She managed to be the best mother to their six children all while holding her new First Lady position.

12. Josephine Baker

Josephine Baker was a popular singer and dancer and rose to fame in France in the 1920s and 1930s. When she came back to the U.S., she was faced with racism with her being an African-American entertainer. Soon after, she returned back to France and had children. She began adopting twelve different children from around the world that she called her ‘rainbow tribe’.

13. Fanny Blankers-Koen

This woman definitely belongs in the best mothers list. At the age of 30 and mother of two, Fanny competed in the 100 meter dash, 80 meter hurdles, and the 4×200 and 4×100 meter relays during the London Olympic Games in 1948.

She was always told that she was ‘too old’ to compete or that she ‘should stay at home with her children’. Fanny proved them all wrong by walking away with four gold medals and she taught her children to continue on, even when people tell you that you can’t.

14. Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman adopted one child, Gertie with Nelson Charles Davis. Even though she only had one child, she was definitely a mother figure to the hundreds of people she saved from slavery. This is why she is one of the best mothers around.

Harriet was born into slavery, and in her later years, was an activist in the women’s suffrage campaign. She worked as a scout and spy for the Union Army during the American Civil War. When she and her brothers escaped slavery, she sang a coded song to a trusted comrade to inform her of a network known as the Underground Railroad.

This was a system made up of free African-Americans, white abolitionists, and other militant. She made 19 trips to the south and freed over 300 slaves. This woman was incredibly brave, and she never lost a passenger or ever got caught.

15. Christine Carter

Christine Carter, Ph.D., is an author, coach, and speaker. She is a graduate of Dartmouth College and has worked in marketing management and school administration. Dr. Carter is now a sociologist at UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center.

She loves to share her work and passions in person by offering people a way to cope with modern pressure and tactic to help them thrive. She discusses with parents ideas on how to better their children’s lives. Christine has appeared on the ‘Oprah Winfrey Show’, the ‘Dr. Oz Show’, and the ‘TODAY’ show. She lives with her husband, dog, and four teenagers.

16. Karen Mitchell

Born in 1960, Karen is the mother of three children. Her oldest happens to be the owner of a little known company called Cedar Sense. Karen is one of the most resilient women on this list. With nothing more than a high school degree she enrolled in college at the age of 56 years old in order to further her career in education.

She didn’t even know how to turn on a laptop  when she took on this venture and had to take all of her courses online while working full time. This doesn’t even include the neck surgery she had at the end of her first year of college that left her laid up in bed for 30 days. 

Most people would quit if they were in her shoes. Most people never even think going back to school at that age is even an option but not Karen. She took on the challenge and with the help of her devoted husband and God she accomplished what she set out to be.

She is truly an inspiration for her son Michael Vail. We salute her and acknowledge her hard work. She has never been one to give up and has worked hard her entire life raising an amazing family. 

Cedar Sense wants to wish a Happy Mother’s Day to Karen Mitchell! Of course we are a little biased here when we say this but you are the greatest mother in the world!  –  Your beloved son, Michael Vail

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