Lydia Moss Bradley tops the list of the state’s ten most groundbreaking women.
The founder of Bradley University was selected as part of the Illinois Top 200 project, which allows residents to vote on the most inspiring figures leading up to the state’s December bicentennial.
Peoria native Betty Friedan finished second on the list. She authored 1963’s “The Feminine Mystique,” which is credited with starting a new wave of feminism. Friedan, who died in 2006, also helped found the National Organization for Women.
Jane Addams, Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey complete the top five on the list.
The Illinois Top 200 is a collaboration between the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, the State Journal- Register and the Illinois Bicentennial Commission.
