1. Col Wilma Deering - Top space pilot and defender of Earth, Col Deering appeared in the first Buck Rogers cartoon strips in the 1930s. She was light years ahead of her time but eventually immortalize as a feminist icon when Erin Gray slid into a body suit in 1970s TV show Buck Rogers in The 25th Century. "I influenced many young girls," says Gray. "Women still come up to me and say, you're the reason I became a police offer or joined the air force..."

2. Wonder Woman - The world's most famous superheroine debuted in 1941. And just like Princess Diana, the Amazonian royal captured men's hearts, although she used a golden lasso and bulletproof bracelets instead of fluttering her eyelashes. "Wonder Woman is propaganda for the new type of woman who should rule the world," said William Martson, her creator. He was only half successful: Lynda Carter kicked butt in the 1970s TV show but a big-screen bow is long overdue.