Betty Friedan

American feminist writer and activist (4 February 1921, Peoria, Illinois — 4 February 2006, Washington, DC). Betty Friedan inspired and propelled the US women's movement with her critically-acclaimed '63 book "The Feminine Mystique." Friedan co-founded the National Organization for Women (NOW), serving as its first president from 1966 to 1970, and organized a nationwide Women's Strike for Equality.