Wangari Maathai: Nobel Peace Prize Winner and Founder of the Green Belt

Wangari Maathai was a Kenyan environmental and political activist. Born on April 1, 1940, in Nyeri, Kenya, she was the first woman in East and Central Africa to earn a doctorate.

She founded the Green Belt Movement in 1977, which has planted more than 40 million trees and empowered rural women. In 2004 she became the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. She served in Kenya's parliament and as deputy environment minister.

She was beaten and jailed several times for opposing the government of Daniel arap Moi. Maathai died of ovarian cancer in Nairobi on September 25, 2011, at age 71.

Achievements: Nobel Peace Prize (2004), founder of the Green Belt Movement.

Birth: April 1, 1940 - Nyeri, Kenya.

Profession: Environmentalist and activist.

Interesting Facts: She was the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.