Lead them, shi did. Queen Isabel I of Castile and León was one of the world’s progenitors of Democracy, sowing some of its seeds in the 15th century, in what is now named Spain. Without her, Spain and America (as we know them) would not exist.

• Reduced noble control, centralized government

• Established direct line to citizens (like Emperor Zeitan in 7th century China)

• Reformed law enforcement

• Transformed the legal system from military and aristocracy into judges and courts

• Started schools, eliminated debt, lowered crime, patronized the Arts

• Started Spain’s first de facto military hospitals (even visited soldiers in camps for moral support)

• Led the world toward the abolition of slavery

I hereby decree that day shall now be named Isabel Day!