1

Dolly Parton – "Jolene," Glastonbury 2014

It’s hard to pick one iconic Dolly Parton live performance, as the Queen of Country knew exactly how to win over an audience with her extraordinary voice and charisma. But her unforgettable 2014 "Jolene" performance at Glastonbury Festival in England certainly has a special place in our hearts.

Playing in front of more than 180,000 people on the Pyramid Stage, she turned her 1973 classic song into a full-on spectacle, moving around the stage and joking as she and the audience belted out the chorus together. Only Dolly Parton could turn a British rock festival into a joyful country singalong.

2

Queen – Live Aid, 1985

Queen needed only 20 minutes at 1985 Live Aid to deliver one of the most memorable live performances in history. The band played "Bohemian Rhapsody," "Radio Ga Ga," "Hammer to Fall," and "We Are the Champions" at the massive charity concert, with 72,000 people filling every corner of Wembley Stadium in London.

Frontman Freddie Mercury delivered a spectacular musical performance, masterfully commanding the crowd and making them part of the show.

3

Elvis Presley – ’68 Comeback Special, 1968

After seven years away from the stage, the King of Rock and Roll made a legendary comeback on December 3, 1968, when NBC aired Elvis Presley’s television special. Wearing a black leather outfit in an intimate sit-down session, Elvis marked his return to live music after years of focusing on Hollywood movies.

He performed some of his most popular songs, including "That’s Alright," and closed the show with "If I Can Dream," a song inspired partly by the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. earlier that year.

4

Johnny Cash – Folsom Prison, 1968

The "Man in Black" had long been fascinated by prison life, and on January 13, 1968, he performed two concerts inside Folsom State Prison in California — and the inmates were animated throughout the show, especially when Cash performed "Cocaine Blues" and "Folsom Prison Blues."

Beyond the unusual location, the Folsom Prison concert, recorded for a legendary album, epitomized Cash’s iconoclastic stance as he entertained fellow outlaws and outsiders.

5

Whitney Houston – Super Bowl XXV, 1991

Whitney Houston's exceptional voice was already legendary, and she was one of the most famous and successful singers on the planet in 1991. But she stunned everyone when she sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Tampa Stadium in Florida, during the ongoing Gulf War.

The patriotic performance was a soulful showcase of Houston's vocal range and power in front of 73,000 people plus hundreds of millions more watching from home. The song reached the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100, and all the revenues went to the Gulf Crisis Fund.

6

Tina Turner – "Proud Mary," Amsterdam Arena in 1996

Tina Turner's explosive performances of "Proud Mary" had long been a signature number in her live shows, a song where she showed off everything that made her such a fantastic performer. But her performance of "Proud Mary" at Amsterdam Arena in 1996 was something else.

Her nonstop dancing and roaring voice at the peak of her solo superstardom tore the roof off the place and drove the audience crazy.

7

The Beatles – Shea Stadium, 1965

In front of roughly 55,600 fans in New York City at the peak of Beatlemania , John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr performed one of the first major stadium rock concerts in history.

The audience got so loud during the show that The Beatles later reported they had trouble hearing themselves, as the band’s regular amplifiers weren’t enough for that crowd.

8

Madonna – Blond Ambition Tour, 1990

Madonna’s remarkable 1990 Blond Ambition Tour had it all: singing, choreography, costumes, and provocative themes and imagery that ruffled some feathers. She was at the peak of her global fame, and her hypersexual performance of "Like a Virgin" raised some eyebrows, especially the choreography involving an iconic cone bra design by Jean Paul Gaultier.

The Blond Ambition Tour was a theatrical full-scale visual production that influenced generations of performers who followed.

9

Goo Goo Dolls – "Iris" in the rain, 2004

Although the Goo Goo Dolls are technically not one-hit wonders, the ballad "Iris" is by far the band’s most iconic song. And if anything could make it even more memorable, that was the epic 2004 performance in the rain in Buffalo, New York.

Just as the band began to play "Iris," a massive thunderstorm rolled in, pouring rain onto the stage ; but instead of stopping, lead singer John Rzeznik simply embraced the weather and used it to his advantage to deliver a cinematic performance in which the rain actually enhanced the song’s emotional climax.

10

Beyoncé – Coachella, 2018

On April 14, 2018, during a nearly two-hour concert packed with dancers, musicians, and even a marching band, Beyoncé became the first Black woman to headline Coachella . She played songs from throughout her career, including "Crazy in Love," "Formation," "Drunk in Love," and, of course, "Single Ladies."

The performance was so famous that fans even renamed it " Beychella " and turned it into a celebration of Black American musical tradition.

1

The disappearance of Amelia Earhart (1937)

The first entry on our list is dedicated to a world-renowned flight pioneer, Amelia Earhart, who vanished while attempting to become the first woman to fly around the globe , leaving behind only fragments of her plane and endless speculation. Radio failure, poor visibility, and fuel issues are speculated to be contributing factors to her disappearance.

Even with modern technology and repeated searches, no one has ever found definitive proof of what happened to Amelia or her aircraft.

2

The D.B. Cooper hijacking (1971)

In 1971, Dan Cooper, a seemingly quiet man, boarded a plane in Portland, Oregon, which he promptly hijacked when the aircraft was in the air. He demanded $200,000 over the radio.

The plane landed in Seattle, where authorities met his demands. Cooper released all 36 passengers in exchange for the cash and parachutes. He then ordered the remaining crew to fly toward Mexico City at a low altitude and slow speed. Somewhere over southwest Washington, he lowered the aircraft's aft stairs and jumped into the freezing night, never to be seen again.

3

The disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa (1975)

The powerful union leader left a Detroit restaurant in 1975 and simply vanished . Witnesses last saw him standing by his car in the restaurant’s parking lot, and investigators believe he was coaxed into a car by people he recognized, thinking the meeting location had changed. He was never seen again. Searches in fields, lakes, and construction sites turned up nothing. To this day, it remains one of the most famous unsolved mysteries in American history.

Rumors range from mob connections to government cover-ups, but none have been proven. Ever since then, Hoffa’s name has become shorthand for anything that disappears without a trace.

4

The Yuba County Five (1978)

In what came to be known as "America’s Dyatlov Pass", five friends vanished after attending a basketball game in the town of Chico, California. Months later, the bodies of four members of the group were found in the mountains under mysterious conditions .

The remaining member of the original party was never located, and their strange route into deep snow remains unexplained.

5

The Sodder Children (1975)

A fire destroyed the Sodder family home in West Virginia, but five children were never found among the remains of the house. Because of physical inconsistencies at the scene and strange sightings afterward, the family always believed they survived.

Over the years, strange sightings and letters fueled hope and confusion alike, but no real evidence has ever been found. Because of these clues, the Sodders never held a funeral and instead famously erected a billboard on Route 16, offering a reward for information and keeping the case in the public eye for decades.

6

The Springfield Three (1992)

On a warm summer night in 1992, Sherrill Sherrill Levitt, her daughter Suzie, and Suzie's friend Stacy vanished from their home in Springfield, Missouri, leaving behind their cars, purses, and even the family dog .

Friends arriving the next morning found the house empty but unlocked. Despite thousands of leads, no evidence or remains have surfaced. The case remains one of the most talked-about disappearances in small-town America to this day.

7

The Gardner Museum Heist (1990)

Back in 1990, two men dressed as police officers entered Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and stole 13 works of art worth over $500 million .

No piece has ever been recovered. Empty frames still hang on the museum walls, a quiet tribute to one of history’s most expensive thefts.

8

The Max Headroom broadcast hijack (1987)

1980s television viewers might remember Max Headroom as a somewhat clumsy computer AI TV personality and ad spokesperson. In 1987, Chicago viewers were startled when a strange figure wearing a Max Headroom mask interrupted TV broadcasts with odd messages .

The stunt lasted only seconds, but no one was ever caught or identified. It remains one of the strangest unsolved moments in television history.

9

The Great Lakes ghost ships

Over the years, s everal ships have vanished or been found adrift on the Great Lakes , their crews gone without explanation. Cold weather, sudden storms, and superstition all play roles in the stories, but some cases defy logic. The vast inland seas are simply too big to be accessible with the current technology.

Among the most notable unsolved cases, we can mention Le Griffon, a ship that vanished during her maiden voyage in 1679, the SS Banockburn, known as the "Flying Dutchman of Lake Superior," disappeared during a storm in 1902, or the SS Chicora, a luxury steamer lost in a violent winter gale while carrying a cargo of flour, in 1895.

10

The Dulce Base Mystery

Beginning in the 1970s, a constant array of strange lights, unmarked aircraft, and talk of secret tunnels near the town of Dulce has fueled decades of conspiracy theories in this otherwise quiet area to this day.

While skeptics blame radar tests or imagination, locals still report odd sightings in the desert skies.

1

Althea Gibson

Image: Josephine Gasser

Born in 1927, Althea Gibson was an American tennis player and a professional golfer. As a sportswoman her ability was extraordinary, but her major achievement was breaking the color barrier in tennis in the 1950s.

Althea was the first African-American woman to play the U.S. National Championships and the first black woman to win a Grand Slam in 1956.

She won 11 Grand Slams, five singles titles, five doubles, and one mixed doubles title. And she opened the door for other black sportswomen to be under the spotlight. Quite impressive, right?

2

Eleanor Roosevelt

Image: René DeAnda

If aviation or sports were controversial places for women, imagine politics! But that didn’t stop Eleanor Roosevelt, a key figure in American politics .

As Franklin D. Roosevelt’s wife, who presided over America from 1933 to 1945, Eleanor was the longest-serving first lady of the United States and, as such she was unwaveringly committed to the people. She redefined the concept of the first lady.

She advocated for human rights and social justice and used her position to work for women, African Americans, and the impoverished. And to top it all, she was a central figure in drafting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

3

Amelia Earhart

Image: Tomas Martinez

Even if she was born in 1897, Amelia is considered a key figure of the 20th century because she was an aviation pioneer . As such she broke several records: She was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic and the first to promote commercial air travel.

But that wasn’t all, Amelia was an activist for women’s rights and wrote best-selling books narrating her adventures as a pilot. The mysteries behind her disappearance during her flight across the Pacific only made her a bigger icon.

4

Estée Lauder

Image: Towfiqu barbhuiya

Most of the professions held by the women in this article are accepted for women today, but not so long ago, being a woman and a successful businessperson wasn’t very common: That was the case with Estéé Lauder who launched her eponymous cosmetics company with her husband.

The brand's success never went unnoticed and it is a best-selling company in the present world. But to top her achievements, Lauder was listed as one of the 20 most influential businesspeople of the century!

5

Aretha Franklin

Image: Alberto Bigoni

During the 20th century, the music industry has seen some of the best singers and songwriters of all time. America has no shortage of talented musicians, but being named the Queen of Soul is something else altogether!

Aretha was a black singer, songwriter, and pianist, and her music gained her the Rolling Stones magazine recognition of "Greatest Singer of All Time" not once, but twice! Not to mention the 18 Grammy Awards or the Presidential Medal of Freedom, among other acknowledgments.

Her music has inspired millions of people around the world and it is still a reference in music and culture today.

6

Marilyn Monroe

Image: Jarvik Joshi

Marylin doesn’t need any kind of introduction, does she? She was and still is to this day a pop culture icon. Her work as an actress had a massive impact on the entertainment industry, but her work as a model did something else to the fashion industry: She was known as the "blonde bombshell" and gave birth to a true revolution in terms of body shapes, relationships, and more.

Influential and controversial depending on who talked about her, she was living proof that there is no such thing as bad marketing: All things considered, she still was the best-paid Hollywood actress of the time.

7

Helen Keller

Image: Aaron Burden

Keller’s story is both shocking and inspiring at the same time. At only 19 months of age, Hellen lost her sight and hearing due to an illness. But having a rough childhood never stopped her. Instead, and despite her disability, she became an advocate for the rights of disabled people, a political activist, and a lecturer.

She wrote 14 books, and hundreds of speeches and fought for women’s right to vote, labor rights, and world peace. If you want to be inspired by her story, you can read her autobiography The Story of My Life .

8

Julia Child

Image: Alyson McPhee

French cuisine is exquisite and we’ve got Julia Child to thank for the fact that we Americans know about it. Child revolutionized American cooking by bringing French cuisine to America through her cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking and her television show "The French Chef."

In her TV show, Child taught French cooking techniques in a way that is accessible to everyone. She was approachable and enthusiastic which made her an influential figure beyond the kitchen, she was a cultural icon.

9

Toni Morrison

Image: Olga Tutunaru

In the field of literature, Morrison is our chosen one since she was a true giant. Toni Morrison wrote novels that deeply influenced American literature and culture as well.

Her writing made her the first African American woman to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature. In her novels, like Beloved, Sula, and Song of Solomon , Morrison explores the topics of identity, race, history, and heritage. Her characters offer deep insights into the African American experience and humanity which makes her legacy an everlasting one.

10

Rosa Parks

Image: Ant Rozetsky

No article about influential women of the 20th century would be complete if we didn’t mention Rosa Parks.

In 1955, she refused to give her seat on a bus to a white passenger. Her courageous act of defiance sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott and initiated the modern Civil Rights Movement. With a simple, but huge action, she challenged the whole system of racial segregation and inspired a nationwide movement for equality.

The bus boycott was the beginning, yet her work continued beyond that as she fought tirelessly for civil rights for the rest of her life.