Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo

The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, a group of brave mothers, began their weekly marches in 1977 demanding justice for children disappeared by the military junta—a protest that exposed over 9,000 documented forced disappearances during the Dirty War. Their white headscarves became a global symbol of resistance, and their persistent advocacy led to the 1984 trial of nine former junta members, convicting them for human rights crimes. In terms of cultural and political impact on state accountability, the Mothers’ movement outperforms the scientific legacy of Bernardo Houssay (#7) by directly challenging a regime, though Houssay’s Nobel citation count (15,000+ papers) dwarfs the Mothers’ scholarly footprint. They lacked the combat precision of Che Guevara (#6) but achieved a quieter victory: changing laws that reunited over 100 families with adopted children stolen by the regime. Their moral force remains a benchmark for human rights movements worldwide.