Clara Barton

Clarissa Harlowe Barton (1821–1912) — known as Clara — was a self-taught nurse, humanitarian, and the founder of the American Red Cross. Before she did any of that, she was a teacher who opened one of New Jersey's first free public schools. Then the government decided the position needed a man and replaced her. Clara's response? She went and helped win a war instead.

During the Civil War, Clara showed up to battlefields — actual battlefields — with supplies, food, and medical care at a time when women were very much not supposed to be anywhere near them. She was known as the "Angel of the Battlefield," which sounds like a compliment but also means she was regularly operating under fire. While everyone else was running away from the cannon smoke, Clara was running toward it with bandages.

In 1881, at the age of 59, she founded the American Red Cross. Most people are thinking about retirement at 59. Clara was building one of the most important humanitarian organizations in the history of the world. She led it for 23 years, responding to disasters, wars, and crises across the globe — because apparently she had things to do.