Margaret Sanger

BusinessWeek's continuing 'Great Innovators' series pays homage to Margaret Sanger this week. Margaret Sanger was born in 1879, and from a young age, was determined not to suffer the fate of her mother and the women of their time. She founded the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and spearheaded the effort to create America's first foolproof oral contraceptive -- the 'pill.' The 'pill' has been credited by some social historians for being the single transforming force in 20th century society -- it gave women equal power with men, and control of their destinies. Sanger received little credit when the pill was approved by the FDA in 1960. She died in 1966. Sanger was also recognized by Time Magazine as one of last century's leaders and revolutionaries. For a different view of Sanger -- one in which she's painted as a racist, check out this site.