1. Bessie A. Buchanan (1902)

American Politician

Bessie Allison Buchanan of Manhattan in New York City became the first African-American woman to hold a seat in the New York State Legislature when she was elected to the...

2. Bessie Anderson Stanley (1879)

American Poet

Elisabeth-Anne Bessie Anderson Stanley is the author of the poem Success which is often incorrectly attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson or Robert Louis Stevenson. Her poem was written in 1904...

3. Bessie Bardot (1974)

Australian Businesswoman Writer

Bessie Bardot is an Australian businesswoman author body model television host and socialite. Her career began in the 1990s when she was discovered by former Australian Gladiator Geoff Barker who...

4. Bessie Braddock (1899)

British Politician

Elizabeth Margaret Braddock JP known as Bessie Braddock was a British Labour politician. Nicknamed 'Battling Bessie' she was an ardent socialist and fiery campaigner. Throughout her long political career she...

5. Bessie Carter (1993)

TV Actress

Television and film actress who is best known for her recurring role in the 2017 mini series Howards End and her role in the 2012 Oscar winning film Les Misérables. 

6. Bessie Coleman (1892)

American Aviator

First African-American female pilot and first African-American recipient of an international pilot's license. She was popularly known as Queen Bess and Brave Bessie and planned to start a school for African-American...

7. Bessie Cursons (1995)

British Actor

British actress, singer, and dancer who appeared on Britain's Got Talent and starred in the TV series My Phone Genie.

8. Bessie Harvey (1929)

American Artist

Bessie Harvey was an American artist best known for her sculptures constructed out of found objects primarily pieces of found wood. Harvey was the seventh of thirteen children born to...

9. Bessie Jackson (1897)

Blues Singer

One of the first blues singers to ever be recorded and who sang "Seaboard Blues," "Troubled Mind," and "Superstitious Blues."

10. Bessie Lee Mauldin (1920)

American Musician

Bessie Lee Mauldin was an American bluegrass bassist. She was the third of four girls. Bessie first met Bill Monroe in 1938 and a few years later went on to...

11. Bessie Loo (1902)

Actress

12. Bessie Love (1898)

American Actor

In 1929, she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for her role in The Broadway Melody.

13. Bessie Rayner Parkes (1829)

British Writer

Bessie Rayner Parkes Belloc was one of the most prominent English feminists and campaigners for women’s rights in Victorian times and also a poet essayist and journalist.

14. Bessie Schonberg (1970)

Choreographer

German dancer and choreographer who became one of the most influential contemporary dance teachers of the 20th century during her 65-year career. She was the recipient of some of the...

15. Bessie Smith (1894)

American Blues Singer

Empress of the Blues who sang in the 1920s and 1930s, releasing award-winning songs like "Empty Bed Blues" and "St. Louis Blues."