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I don't know if its because she has had a better PR campaign than any woman in history but I have to go with Elizabeth Regina I. A master survivalist, one of the most astute politicians of her time or any other. The woman who lead a small island nation and set about putting it on a solid footing to be one of the world's great powers.
Mostly recognized as a beautiful actress, Lamar was also a talented mathematician who is credited with the invention of spread spectrum communication. Spread spectrum was so secret that when I learned of it in 1965 as a naval technician, I was not allowed to use the phrase. Today, it is known as Bluetooth and is widely used.
If we employ quantitative standards searching for the woman who had the most people simultaneously absorbed with her life, then it would most likely be Princess Di, although I never found her particularly interesting. I viewed her as sort of an ordinary person wins lottery type.
Going by the eras of western culture, ancient times has an easy winner, Cleopatra. I suspect most people, if asked to name any woman who lived before the year 1000 CE, would be able to name Cleopatra but very few others, if any. There is a big gap between Cleopatra and the next western culture mega star, Joan of Ark. Eleanor of Aquitaine made a bit of noise before Joan, but her current fame is largely a product of the film "The Lion in Winter."
Things got rolling for women in the fame department in the 15th Century with Ann Boleyn and stepped up big time in the 16th with Elizabeth I, Mary Queen of Scots was a co star. The 18th Century top celeb was Catherine the Great and starting in the 19th Century it has been a flood.... Marie Antoinette, Sacajawea, Dolley Madison, Florence Nightingale, Harriet Tubman, Annie Oakley, Queen Victoria, Marie Curie.
And on into the 20th and beyond where mass media has brought people to far more world wide attention than was possible before... Amelia Earhart, Margaret Mitchell, Eleanor Roosevelt, Indira Gandhi, Margaret Thatcher, Gloria Steinem, Marylin Monroe....etc.
I have no one answer, I don't know what the standards are supposed to be.
No...Eileen Wuornos, barely edging into first place in a tight four-way against Ruth Ginsburg, Anne Heche and Mariah Carey. (Her acceptance speech is available on YouTube with a simple search of her flowery name.)
Determining greatness is no simple task, I assure you.
In Behar's case, you could just ask her.
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