Betty Friedan, whose book The Feminine Mystique changed the world forever, died Saturday, Feb. 4, her birthday, at the age of 85, CNN reports.

Her 1963 "feminine manifesto" became a best seller by inspiring women to ask, "Who am I, and what do I want out of life?" She asserted that women should aspire to separate identities as individuals, while telling them "...don't get into the bra-burning, anti-man, politics-of-orgasm school."

As the first president of NOW in 1966, she staked out positions that seemed extreme at the time on such issues as abortion, sex-neutral help-wanted ads, equal pay, promotion opportunities and maternity leave.

In her book The Feminine Mystique, Betty wrote: "The problem that has no name — which is simply the fact that American women are kept from growing to their full human capacities — is taking a far greater toll on the physical and mental health of our country than any known disease."

Her funeral will be held today (February 6) in New York City.