Inspirational Women celebrated in Google Doodle

The day has been observed since the 1900's after at least 15 000 women marched through New York City demanding rights to vote, equal and fair pay and improved working conditions. 

#BeBoldForChange is the theme for this year's International Women's Day - with calls to the public to sign a petition via the International Women's ay site  on how the public will contribute towards a more gender inclusive world.

The Doodle is presented in a slideshow format and shows the story of 13 inspirational women worldwide, from various fields and eras. 

From American journalist and activist Ida B. Wellsm; physicist and astronaut, Sally Kristen Ride to South Africa's own songstress and civil rights acitivist, Miriam Makeba. 

While the UN says today "is an occasion for looking back on past struggles and accomplishments, and more importantly, for looking ahead to the untapped potential and opportunities that await future generations of women.”

Here are the 13 women:

Ida Wells - American journalist, suffragist, and civil rights activist

Lotfia El Nadi - Egypt’s first female pilot

Frida Kahlo - Mexican painter and activist

Lina Bo Bardi - Italian-born Brazilian architect

Olga Skorokhodova - Soviet scientist and researcher in the field of deaf and blind communication

Miriam Makeba - South African singer and civil rights activist

Sally Ride - American astronaut and the first American woman in space

Halet Çambel - Turkish archaeologist and the first Muslim woman to compete in the Olympics

Ada Lovelace - English mathematician, writer, and the world’s first computer programmer

Rukmini Devi - Indian dancer and choreographer credited with reviving Indian classical dance

Cecilia Grierson - Argentine physician, reformer, and the first woman in Argentina to receive a medical degree

Lee Tai-young - Korean lawyer and activist who was Korea’s first female lawyer and judge

Suzanne Lenglen - French tennis champion who popularized the sport