The U.S. Women's History Project Blog

Update

2009-05-23T21:11:00.003-04:00

Hello Readers,

We're so sorry for the continued inactivity on our blog! Due to our busy schedules, we haven't been and won't be posting here much, but please do check back for occasional updates on this blog and our full website (http://www.freewebs.com/uswhp/). Thanks, and have a great Memorial Day weekend!

Sincerely, The Women's History Project

Woman of the Month: Quotes

2009-03-06T15:08:00.002-05:00

Check out these quotations of Gloria Steinem:
http://womenshistory.about.com/cs/quotes/a/qu_g_steinem.htm
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/g/gloria_steinem.html

Ban Ki-Moon voices intolerance for violence against women

2009-03-06T15:02:00.004-05:00

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon spoke out against violence towards women in his continuing global campaign urging political leaders to change the attitudes of abusers:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iYV3Iu0f13kZDBtyzyo_j66Ph_1AD96O8KD00.

March Update

2009-03-03T10:51:00.003-05:00

March is National Women's History Month! Celebrate by visiting http://www.freewebs.com/uswhp/holidays.htm.

Our woman of the month for March is feminist icon and women's rights activist and journalist Gloria Steinem. Born on March 25, 1935, she is the founding editor of Ms. Magazine and helped found National Women's Political Caucus, the Women's Action Alliance, the Coalition of Labor Union Women, Choice USA, and the Women's Media Center.

AALBC Webpage

2009-02-22T13:09:00.002-05:00

Check out this Alice Walker page from the website African American Literature Book Club (AALBC): http://aalbc.com/authors/alice.htm

Alice Walker links and bio

2009-02-11T16:09:00.001-05:00

This webpage about Alice Walker includes a biography and tons of internet links: http://www.luminarium.org/contemporary/alicew/

Woman of the Month: February

2009-02-11T16:03:00.004-05:00

Our woman of the month is Alice Walker! She was the first African American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for fiction with her epistolary novel The Color Purple in 1983. Throughout the month, we will post links, pictures, articles, fun facts, etc. relating to her. Sorry for the delay!

Globalization and women's advancement

2009-02-11T15:58:00.002-05:00

Check out this cool article about globalization and women's rights! http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,605813,00.html

First woman to swim across Atlantic

2009-02-09T11:53:00.003-05:00

Read all about 56-year-old Jennifer Figge who becames the first woman to swim across the Atlantic Ocean! She left the Cape Verde Islands off Africa on January 12 and arrived at Chacachacare Island, in Trinidad on February 5, "swimming about 2,100 miles (3,380 kilometers)." http://sports.yahoo.com/top/news?slug=ap-atlanticswim020809&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

Inspirational coach dies

2009-01-24T16:25:00.004-05:00

North Carolina State's women's basketball coach, Kay Yow, passed away this morning at age 66. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1987, and was admitted to the hospital last week. Yow raised awareness and support for breast cancer research throughout her battle with the disease, and was a "giver and she gave so much to every life she touched,” Tennessee coach Pat Summitt. Yow also coached NC's team, the Wolfpack, from 1975-2009; had over 700 career wins; and was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002.

She will be much missed, and our thoughts are with her family in this time of grief.

For a more detailed report, click here: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/womens-basketball/news?slug=ap-obit-kayyow&prov=ap&type=lgns.

Obama

2009-01-21T21:21:00.003-05:00

Best wishes to our newly inaugurated President Barack Obama! View his positions on women's rights here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/agenda/women/.

Official Website

2009-01-14T11:47:00.002-05:00

Visit the Official Website of Amelia Earhart! http://www.ameliaearhart.com/

Amelia Earhart Museum

2009-01-09T12:37:00.001-05:00

Check out the website for the Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum in Atchison, Kansas: http://www.ameliaearhartmuseum.org/.

Timeline from The Ninety-Nines

2009-01-08T11:56:00.003-05:00

Check out an Amelia Earhart timeline from The Ninety-Nines International Organization of Women Pilots, created "in 1929 by 99 licensed women pilots for the mutual support and advancement of aviation." http://www.ninety-nines.org/earhart.html

Women of the Month: January

2009-01-07T16:57:00.003-05:00

Our first Woman-of-the-Month is the late pilot Amelia Earhart. On January 11 in 1935, she made the first solo flight from Hawaii to North America! Throughout the month, we will post links, pictures, articles, fun facts, etc. relating to her.

Happy 2009!

2009-01-07T16:56:00.002-05:00

WHP would like to wish everyone a very happy new year! Best wishes for 2009.

Women In Film & Television International

2008-12-25T18:13:00.004-05:00

Check this out! Women In Film & Television International (WIFTI) is "a global network" comprised of about 37 chapters of the organization Women In Film. With over 10,000 members, WIFTI is "dedicated to advancing professional development and achievement for women working in all areas of film, video, and other screen-based media." http://www.wifti.org/

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-25T18:04:00.004-05:00

We wish our Jewish and Christian readers a Happy (though somewhat belated) Hannukkah, and a Merry Christmas! Also, an early Happy Kwanzaa to those of African heritage and culture!

Yahoo!'s Top 10 Women of 2008

2008-12-14T23:16:00.001-05:00

Yahoo! Buzz highlighted 10 women for their 2008 Year in Review section. Check it out! http://buzz.yahoo.com/yearinreview2008/women/

Women of the Year from Glamour Magazine

2008-12-04T21:47:00.004-05:00

Check out Glamour Magazine's 2008 Women of the Year Awards!: http://www.glamour.com/women-of-the-year.

Blog News!

2008-12-04T21:04:00.005-05:00

Dear readers,

Seasons greetings! Our apologies for the lack of posts for the past 2 months; autumn has been incredibly busy for us.

A few blog updates: Along with our "Picture This" photo of the month piece, we will also spotlight a famous woman in history each month and post fun facts, links, and more pertaining to the historical woman throughout the month, starting in January.

And although we have discontinued our regular posting of famous birthdays and events in women's history (since our blog has been running for about a year now and hey, who wants to keep repeating themself?), we'll continue to post items about women's rights activism, women's history resources, women in politics, USWHP news, etcetera.

Best wishes,
The United States Women's History Project

The Girl Effect

2008-10-07T18:07:00.001-04:00

Watch this fantastic video!

NOW E-cards

2008-10-07T17:56:00.001-04:00

The National Organization for Women offers free e-cards you can send today!: http://www.now.org/sendcard/.

Sylvia Pankhurst

2008-09-27T11:22:00.000-04:00

Today is British suffragist Sylvia Pankhurst's birthday!
http://sylviapankhurst.gn.apc.org/sylvia.htm

Interview with Charles J. Shields

2008-09-21T12:21:00.003-04:00

Check out our exchange with Charles J. Shields, author of Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee and I Am Scout: The Biography of Harper Lee. Many thanks to Mr. Shields for his time, patience and excellent responses! (You can visit his website at www.charlesjshields.com/.)

1. WHP: How did you first become interested in Harper Lee and writing a biography about her?
Charles J. Shields: When I began researching MOCKINGBIRD: A Portrait of Harper Lee, I was intrigued by these questions too of course, but in my mind, even more puzzling was: How can so little be known about the author of one of the most popular novels of the 20th century? And, why are the few facts available about her often inconsistent?

2. WHP: What was your research process like for your books Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee and I Am Scout: The Biography of Harper Lee?
CJS: Harper Lee’s friends are not the type who will leave behind archives and memoirs. She never associated with literary people, except for Truman Capote. Consequently, I had to interview hundreds of persons who know or remembered her. It was almost like an oral history.

3. WHP: How did you adapt Mockingbird to your version for young adults, I Am Scout?
CJS: I changed the reading level from twelfth grade (the way the New York Times is written) to about eighth grade (People magazine). Also, I removed information that was not strictly necessary to know in order to appreciate Lee’s life. The result was that the young adult version was half the length of the adult version.

4. WHP: How would your describe Harper Lee in one word?
CJS: Consistent. Miss Lee has been remarkably consistent her entire life: she’s a nonconformist. I was surprised that the roughhousing girl of the 1930s was also the author of such a gentle book, and that she remained independent and a skeptic into middle age and beyond. Friends know her as warm, but she really doesn’t care about what anybody thinks of her.

5. WHP: How do you think Harper Lee fits into American women's history?
CJS: She is genderless and I think that’s refreshing. She belongs to a generation (she’s 84) that usually doesn’t identify with feminism, but her narrator, Scout, with the author intending it, is an example model for young women.

(Thanks for reading!)

Kenya's Street Children Blogging Project

2008-09-13T20:44:00.003-04:00

This is rather a departure from our normal postings, but something to be aware of none the less:

Kristina Rosinsky, from the Advocacy Project, has been working in Kenya this summer with children who live on the streets. Through the project, they have learned how to use computers and cameras, and now each of the seventeen students have their own blog and Flickr account. We encourage you to check them out here:
http://advocacynet.org/blogs/index.php?blog=110&title=voices_of_kenya_s_vulnerab
le_children_an&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1#comments
The blogs are interesting and insightful. Do take a look!

Tuesday--Women's Equality Day

2008-08-23T20:14:00.004-04:00

Celebrate equal rights! Get ready for Women's Equality Day, which is right around the corner on Tuesday, August 26. Check out http://womenshistory.about.com/od/wed/Womens_Equality_Day_August_26.htm and http://www.nwhp.org/resourcecenter/equalityday.php for more information.

Write Across the World Magazine

2008-08-22T10:26:00.003-04:00

One project we did this year was an online collaboration with girls in Pakistan. The result of this email exchange was a magazine, written and edited by girls in the U.S. and Pakistan. Check it out!

http://www.freewebs.com/uswhp/writeacrosstheworld.htm

Representative Tubb Jones Dies

2008-08-20T21:38:00.003-04:00

Representative Stephanie Tubb Jones died this evening as a result of an aneurysm. She was 58.

Tubb Jones was the first black woman to represent Ohio in Congress. She was a fierce Democrat and staunchly against the Iraq war. She was an incredibly strong woman who made it one of her missions to secure rights for everyone.

She will be much missed in the world of politics, and as a person.

Our thoughts are with her family in this time of grief.

For a more detailed story, read the Associated Press' article:
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g69eFoFAV_TuMuhxP8zy2W3ut_egD92MBNQO0

Blog news!

2008-08-15T21:42:00.004-04:00

Dear readers,

Our blog has been running for almost a year now! We don't want to repeat ourselves, so we will generally not be posting about past birthdays and events in women's history from here on. (Check out the websites www.factmonster.com/birthday and http://www.nwhp.org/news/calendar.php for daily historical events and birthdays!)

We will continue to post about current events relating to women's history and equal rights advocacy and awareness with links and articles, so stay tuned!

Thanks,
The United States Women's History Project

What happened in women's history today?

2008-08-14T16:45:00.002-04:00

Today is former Olympic swimmer Debbie Meyer's birthday. Also on today's date in 1986 "Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper retires from active duty in the US Navy. A pioneering computer scientist and inventor of the computer compiler, she was the oldest officer still on active duty at the time of her retirement," says the National Women's History Project.

A Catch-up List of August 1-7 Birthdays

2008-08-07T12:02:00.004-04:00

A quick catch-up on happenings in women's history for this first week of August!

August 1st: Astronomer Maria Mitchell's birthday.
August 2nd: Chilean author Isabelle Allende's birthday.
August 3rd: Senior rights activist Maggie Kuhn's and entrepreneur, author and T.V. personality Martha Stewart's birthdays.
August 4th: White House correspondent Helen Thomas's birthday.
August 6th: Actress Lucille Ball's, tennis player Helen Jacob's, and lawyer and suffragist Inez Millhollan Boissevain's birthdays. Also, the "1965 Voting Rights Act outlaws the discriminatory literacy tests that had been used to prevent African Americans from voting," says the National Women's History Project.

Today is suffragist Paulina Wright Davis's and labor organizer and leader Elizabeth Gurley Flynn's birthdays.

Democratic Veepstakes

2008-07-31T19:58:00.002-04:00

In this interesting article [http://www.now.org/news/note/073108.html] by the National Organization of Women's president, Kim Gandy takes a look at the likely candidates for Obama's running mate, and their positions on issues that affect women. Check it out!

Emily Bronte

2008-07-30T12:13:00.001-04:00

Today is British author Emily Bronte's birthday.

The Women's History Project

New Harper Lee book for teens

2008-07-30T11:55:00.003-04:00

Harper Lee's famous novel To Kill A Mockingbird is read by thousands across America. Yet little is known about the author herself. Check out Charles J. Shields' detailed and absorbing 2008 book I Am Scout: The Biography of Harper Lee (an adapted version for young adults of his New York Times Bestseller Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee) with information from archives and interviews with Lee and those who knew her. You can also read I Am Scout discussion guides at http://www.charlesjshields.com/PDF/I_Am_Scout_Guide.pdf.

The Women's History Project

UN Women's Rights Resource

2008-07-30T10:57:00.001-04:00

Check out this fabulous collection of material on women's rights, put together by the United Nations for International Women's Day!

http://www.un.org/cyberschoolbus/womensday/index.asp

First Ladies

2008-07-29T18:21:00.001-04:00

Check out the National First Ladies Library at http://www.firstladies.org/!

The Women's History Project

Birthdays

2008-07-29T18:05:00.003-04:00

July 27th was Peggy Fleming's birthday, the 28th was the birthdate of Beatrix Potter, Lucy Burns and Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, and today's date is the birthday of Elizabeth Hanford Dole and Nancy Landon Kassebaum.

The Women's History Project

Charlotte Beer

2008-07-26T20:57:00.000-04:00

Today is Charlotte Beer's birthday!
Elena

Birthdays and more

2008-07-24T11:00:00.003-04:00

Today is both Amelia Earheart's and Bella Abzug's birthdays!

Again, our apologies for not regularly posting; we have been incredibly busy! You can catch up on any women's history tidbits from July that we neglected at http://www.nwhp.org/news/july.php.

The Women's History Project

Iris Murdoch

2008-07-15T11:51:00.003-04:00

We apologize for the lack of posts lately! Today is European author Iris Murdoch's birthday.

The Women's History Project

"American Women" from LOC

2008-06-27T22:37:00.002-04:00

Check out this link about U.S. women from the Library of Congress' American Memory: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/awhhtml/index.html.

The Women's History Project

More Birthdays!

2008-06-27T22:30:00.001-04:00

Today is the birthdate of both Helen Keller and Vera Wang!

The Women's History Project

Birthdays!

2008-06-26T20:55:00.003-04:00

Today is the birthdate of Antonia Brico, the "first women to conduct a world-class symphony orchestra," and athlete Mildred "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias .

The Women's History Project

Birthdays

2008-06-21T10:26:00.003-04:00

Today is birthday of both politician Benazir Bhutto and author Mary McCarthy.

The Women's History Project

Today in women's history

2008-06-20T16:57:00.003-04:00

Today is dramatist Lillian Hellman's birthday. Also on today's date in 1921 "Alice Robertson ((R-Oklahoma) becomes the first woman to chair the House of Representatives," says NWHP.

The Women's History Project

NCWHS

2008-06-19T17:49:00.001-04:00

Check out the National Collaborative for Women's History Sites, http://ncwhs.oah.org/! Their mission is to support and promote "the preservation and interpretation of sites and locales that bear witness to women's participation in American life. The Collaborative makes women's contributions to history visible so that all women's experiences and potential are fully valued."

The Women's History Project

What happened in women's history on June 18th?

2008-06-19T17:29:00.003-04:00

On June 18th, Susan B. Anthony was fined $100 dollars in her attempt to vote in the 1872 presidential election; Sally Ride became the first American woman in space; and aviator Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean.

The Women's History Project

An ammendment and links!

2008-06-17T20:40:00.003-04:00

Our apologies: we neglected to mention that Barbara McClintock's birthday was the 16th, not today's date, the 17th! (The two other birthdays mentioned are correct.)

Also, check out these links: http://www.distinguishedwomen.com/, a site that has biographies of women around the world, and http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/specials/whm/0,8805,101044,00.html, the Time For Kids Magazine site's women's history month features.

The Women's History Project

Birthdays

2008-06-17T20:32:00.002-04:00

Happy birthday to biologist Barbara McClintock (1902-1992), first female Native American doctor Susan La Flesche Picotte (1865-1915), and tennis player Venus Williams !

The Women's History Project

Update

2008-06-15T12:41:00.004-04:00

We apologize on the lack of posts lately! Summer activities have got us quite busy, and we've also been busy working on our website. The website now has 8 downloadable units of women's history curriculum; an event reports page, where we'll post summaries and reviews of women's history-related events that WHP members attend; information on the Equal Right's Ammendment, plus a form letter you can send to your officials; more biographies; and a page about holidays and celebrations like Women's History Month and Equal Pay Day! Check out the additions at www.freewebs.com/uswhp.

The Women's History Project

Connie Chung

2008-06-01T11:41:00.002-04:00

On today's date in 1993, "Connie Chung becomes the second woman to co-anchor evening news, 7 years after Barbara Walters became the first in 1976," says NWHP. Today is also Marilyn Monroe's birthday.

The Women's History Project

Gale Schools' Women's History Resources

2008-05-20T12:03:00.002-04:00

Gale Schools has lots of resources for students and educators; check out their women's history features for kids at http://www.galeschools.com/womens_history/index.htm.

The Women's History Project

Dolley Madison

2008-05-20T12:01:00.001-04:00

Happy birthday to Dolley Madison!

The Women's History Project

One Is Greater Than None

2008-05-20T11:57:00.002-04:00

Check out this organization called One is Greater than None, a project started by eight 14-year-old girls to raise money for kids in Africa through bracelet-making: http://www.oneisgreaterthannone.org/.

The Women's History Project

Birthdays!

2008-05-19T12:04:00.003-04:00

We apologize for the lack of posts lately! On today's date, Lorraine Hansberry was born; she was the first women to have a play produced on Broadway with A Raisin in the Sun. Today is also the birthday of British politician Nancy Astor, who was the was the first woman to serve in the British House of Commons; and Nora Ephron, an actress and screenwriter known for her strong female roles.

The Women's History Project

Birthdays

2008-05-12T11:47:00.003-04:00

Today is Florence Nightingale's and Katharine Hepburn's birthdays!

The Women's History Project

Nellie Bly and Dorothy Andersen

2008-05-05T10:30:00.003-04:00

Happy birthday to writer Nellie Bly! Also on today's date, in 1938, "Dr. Dorothy H. Andersen presents results of her medical research identifying the disease cystic fibrosis at a meeting of the American Pediatric Assn."

The Women's History Project

Audrey Hepburn

2008-05-04T10:44:00.002-04:00

Happy birthday Audrey Hepburn! Check out http://www.audreyhepburn.com/, http://www.fabaudrey.com/, http://www.reelclassics.com/Actresses/Audrey/audrey.htm, and http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000030/.

The Women's History Project

What happened in women's history today?

2008-05-03T10:05:00.003-04:00

Happy birthday to Israeli political leader Golda Meir, civil rights activist and educator Septima Clark (1898-1986), and writer (1912-1995) May Sarton. Also on today's date in 1974 was when Billie Jean King founded The Women's Sports Foundation, an organization which works to "advance the lives of girls and women through sports and physical activity."

The Women's History Project

2008-04-30T14:16:00.002-04:00

Today is Ellen Zwilich's birthday. She was the "first woman to win a Pulitzer Prize for Music," says NWHP, in 1983. She won for her Symphony No. I (Three Movements for Orchestra), which was "commissioned by the American Composers Orchestra and premiered by that orchestra on May 5, 1982 in Alice Tully Hall, New York City," says the Pulitzer Prize website.

The Women's History Project

Harper Lee

2008-04-28T17:41:00.002-04:00

Happy birthday to award-winning American author Harper Lee, famous for her novel To Kill A Mocking Bird.

The Women's History Project

Leaders in Equality

2008-04-27T10:09:00.002-04:00

Happy birthday to British author and feminist Mary Wollstonecraft and civil rights advocate Coretta Scott King.

The Women's History Project

Birthdays!

2008-04-26T11:48:00.002-04:00

Happy birthday to blues artist Gertrude "Ma" Rainey and television actress Carol Burnett!

The Women's History project

Ella Fitzgerald

2008-04-25T10:44:00.001-04:00

Happy Birthday to Ella Fitzgerald!

The Women's History Project

Equal Pay Day

2008-04-22T09:52:00.004-04:00

Today is Equal Pay Day, a holiday committed to raising awareness about the fact that there is a significant gap between what men are paid and what women are paid. Currently, women earns 77 cents for every dollar that men do.

What you can do to help:
Wear red to support the fair pay movement
Write to or call your senators and ask them to support the Fair Pay Restoration Act. Information on how to contact them, and background on the Act are here:
http://www.capwiz.com/now/issues/alert/?alertid=10323036

Here are some great links:
http://www.pay-equity.org
http://www.wageproject.org/

Today's birthdays

2008-04-21T10:54:00.004-04:00

Happy birthday to Charlotte Bronte and Queen Elizabeth II!

The Women's History Project

Fair Pay Restoration Act

2008-04-18T11:06:00.002-04:00

"The Fair Pay Restoration Act (S.1843) – drafted in response to the Supreme Court’s ruling in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, which held that employees must sue for pay discrimination within the current 180-day statute of limitations – would permit employees to sue employers for wage discrimination even if the discrimination was discovered beyond the 180-day limit," says the National Comittee on Pay Equity. The Senate will be voting early on the Fair Pay Restoration act next week, says Feminist Majority: "The House has already passed the companion bill, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to correct the recent Supreme Court decision that guts the ability of women workers to sue for wage discrimination. Celebrate Equal Pay Day, April 22nd, by contacting your senators today!"

The Women's History Project

P.S. For more information on the wage gap and equal pay, visit http://www.wageproject.org/content/gap/what.php.

Today's Birthdays!

2008-04-15T11:09:00.002-04:00

Today, Olympic athlete Evelyn Ashford and jazz singer Bessie Smith were born.

The Women's History Project

Digital History

2008-04-14T11:15:00.002-04:00

Check out Digital History (http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/), a website that has an online textbook; over 400 annotated documents; historical maps, music and images; links; classroom handouts; and more!

The Women's History Project

2008-04-14T11:06:00.001-04:00

In 1977, NWHP says, "18 women in the House of Representatives form the Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues ." Also, our apologies for incorrectly stating that Anne Sullivan Macy's birthday was yesterday; the date is actually the 14th. Sorry for the mistake.

The Women's History Project

Birthdays

2008-04-13T10:55:00.002-04:00

Today is author Eudora Welty's birthday, and it is also Anne Sullivan's birthday. (Anne was Helen Keller's educator.)

The Women's History Project

Today's Birthdays!

2008-04-10T10:54:00.002-04:00

Today is Dolores Huerta's and Frances Perkins' birthdays.

The Women's History Project

Happy Birthday

2008-04-07T09:31:00.002-04:00

Today, dancer Irene Castle and singer Billie Holiday were born.

The U.S. Women's History Project

2008-04-05T11:09:00.002-04:00

Actress Bette Davis' birthday is today. Today is also the anniversary of when, in 1911, "80,000 people march on New York city's 5th avenue to attend the funeral of those who died in the Triangle Shirtwaist Company fire in late March." (Thanks to NWHP.)

The Women's History Project

Today's Birthdays

2008-04-04T11:51:00.002-04:00

Today is both Maya Angelou's and Dorthea Dix's birthdays!

The Women's History Project

Birthdays

2008-04-03T18:27:00.002-04:00

Today is English educational reformer Mary Carpenter's birthday and renowned primatologist Jane Goodall's birthday!

The Women's History Project

The Girl Who Struck Out Babe Ruth

2008-04-02T11:13:00.003-04:00

On today's date in 1931, "17-year old Jackie Mitchell, the first woman to play baseball in the minor leagues and be signed to an all-male team as a pitcher, pitches an exhibition game against NY Yankees and strikes out both Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. The next day, the Baseball Commissioner voided her contract, claiming baseball was too strenuous for women. The ban was not overturned until 1992." (From The National Women's History Project.) Also, today is foreign correspondant Georgie Anne Geyer's birthday.

The Women's History Project

What happened today?

2008-03-31T21:13:00.003-04:00

Happy birthday to actress and singer Shirley Jones! Also, today is the anniversary of the deaths of Eleanor of Aquitaine, queen of France and England, Charlotte Brontë, author of Jane Eyre, another British author Enid Bagnold, and Congresswoman Bella Abzug, a noted women's rights champion.

The U.S. Women's History Project

Gifts of Speech

2008-03-29T15:29:00.003-04:00

Gifts of Speech "is a non-profit project, sponsored by Sweet Briar College, dedicated to preserving and creating access to speeches by influential, contemporary women from around the world. The idea for the project originated in 1989 when Liz Kent, a college librarian, was asked to help a student find a speech by Gloria Steinem. Mrs. Kent assumed it would be easy to locate a speech by Ms. Steinem, and was surprised when she could not find one in any of the resources available within her small college library." This episode inspired Gifts of Speech, which began in fall of 1996 with a donation by Dr. John Jaffe, the Director of Sweet Briar College Libraries and Integrated Learning Resources. "An address list of 85 prominent women in leadership positions around the world was compiled and letters were sent to the United States, Ireland, Kenya, Canada, England and Sri Lanka. In response to those 85 letters, 74 speeches were generously returned." Since then, more speeches have been added, and you can browse under the last name of the speech maker, or chronologically. Be sure to check this website out!

The Women's History Project

Sara Vaughan

2008-03-27T10:15:00.002-04:00

Today is singer Sara Vaughan birthday!

The Women's History Project

2008-03-26T10:50:00.001-04:00

Today is U.S. lawyer and associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (1981–2006) Sandra Day O'Connor's birthday. She was the first woman to join Supreme Court as justice (1981).

The Women's History Project

More birthdays!

2008-03-25T10:55:00.001-04:00

Today is the birthdate of both Gloria Steinem and Aretha Franklin!

The Women's History Project

2008-03-24T16:47:00.001-04:00

Today is Matilda Joslyn Gage and Dorothy Height's birthdays!

The Women's History Project

Birthdays!

2008-03-23T11:20:00.002-04:00

Today is the birthdate of both Fanny Farmer , most famous for her cookbooks, and Bette Nesmith Graham, the inventor of White Out. Also, The National Women's History Project says that on today's date in 1917, "Virginia Woolf establishes the Hogarth Press with her husband, Leonard Woolf."

The Women's History Project

ERA History

2008-03-22T14:02:00.002-04:00

Today in 1972, Congress approved the Equal Rights Amendment and sent it to the states for ratification. After lapsing, it was revived in 2001. For more information, go here:
http://www.freewebs.com/uswhp/equalrightsamendment.htm

Anne Hutchinson was also banished from Massachusetts in 1638. Check out our biography of this amazing woman here:
http://www.freewebs.com/uswhp/earlyamerica.htm#142142961

The Women's History Project

2008-03-21T11:22:00.002-04:00

Today is poet Phyllis McGinley's birthday, and on today's date was when, in 1986, Debi Thomas became the first African American woman to win gold medal in a world skating competition.

The Women's History Project

Uncle Tom's Cabin

2008-03-20T09:32:00.003-04:00

In 1852 on today's date, Harriet Beecher Stowe's book Uncle Tom's Cabin was published, which became America's first book to sell over 1 million copies! Check out a primary source document (PSD) here for more info. Thanks to www.nwhp.org for the information.

The Women's History Project

Camp Fire Girls, etc.

2008-03-18T09:12:00.004-04:00

Yesterday's date was when, in 1910, Camp Fire Girls was established as what NWHP calls "the first American interracial, non-sectarian organization for girls." In the Camp Fire USA website's timeline, the description of this event is: "First meetings of Camp Fire Girls are held in Vermont. Dr. Gulick chooses the name 'Camp Fire' because campfires were the origin of the first communities and domestic life. Once people learned to make and control fire, they could develop and nurture a sense of community."

Today's date is the birthday of Olympic speed skater Bonnie Blair, and rap artist and actress Queen Latifah.

The Women's History Project

Ruth Bader Ginsburg

2008-03-16T10:33:00.002-04:00

On today's date in 1933, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was born.

The Women's History Project

Play Pumps

2008-03-13T10:06:00.004-04:00

In rural Africa, clean water is hard to come by, and most people don't have plumbing installed in their homes. Instead, they are forced to walk for miles to a well and back. The grueling task of hauling water is usually held by women and girls, and sometimes this chore prevents girls from going to school.

The invention of Play Pumps is helping to solve this problem! Here's how it works: merry-go-rounds are installed, and when kids give it a push and spin around, it pumps clean water underground and into a big tank where people can access the water. The tank's sides have educational messages about healthy living, and ads to help pay for upkeep. The PlayPump not only provides water, it also provides matinence jobs and fun for the kids.

And as the website says, "Women benefit too, as they no longer risk injury from transporting heavy containers of water over great distances, and they can use the time saved to better care for their children and start small enterprises that bring additional food and income to their families."

To learn more, visit PlayPumps International, or check out National Geographic Kid's article about the program here.

Scout Bassett

2008-03-13T09:59:00.003-04:00

National Geographic Kids has a wealth of cool articles. Check out this inspiring story about physically disabled athlete Scout Bassett, a teenager who show people that anything is possible.

The Women's History Project

What happened today in women's history?

2008-03-12T13:02:00.002-04:00

Today is not only singer and actress Liza Minnelli's birthday, but also the date of the first Girl Scouts meeting of 18 girls, held in Savannah, Georgia by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912.

The Women's History Project

March 10

2008-03-10T22:24:00.001-04:00

March 10 is also National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, Harriet Tubman Day, and Canada's Commonwealth Day!

The Women's History Project

Happy Birthday!

2008-03-10T12:35:00.003-04:00

Happy birthday to diplomat and dramatist Clare Boothe Luce (1903-87) and Lillian D. Wald (1867–1940), a social worker, and pioneer in public health services.

The Women's History Project

Graciela Olivarez

2008-03-09T12:02:00.002-04:00

Today is the birthday of Graciela Olivarez (1928-1987), who was not only the first woman and Latina law graduate from Notre Dame Law School, but also first woman chair of Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF). Check out NWHP's full bio at http://www.nwhp.org/resourcecenter/honoredlatinas.php.

The Women's History Project

One is Greater than None

2008-03-08T22:38:00.004-05:00

Check out this wonderful project, started by 8 14-year-old girls. It's called One is Greater than None, and the girls raised money and awareness to save impoverished kids in Ghana, Africa from abuse. Visit their website at http://www.oneisgreaterthannone.org/.

The Women's History Project

International Women's Day!

2008-03-08T22:24:00.003-05:00

Happy International Women's Day! You can check out these links:
http://www.internationalwomensday.com/
http://www.factmonster.com/spot/womensday1.html
http://www.un.org/cyberschoolbus/womensday/index.asp
http://www.123greetings.com/events/womens_day/
http://www.bluemountain.com/category.pd?path=34945
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/statements/2008/s04/en/index.html
http://www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/women/womday97.htm

The Women's History Project

More birthdays!

2008-03-06T14:35:00.002-05:00

Today in 1806, English poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning was born. Pioneering women auto racer Janet Guthrie was also born on today's date in 1938.

The Women's History Project

Birthdays

2008-03-05T12:07:00.004-05:00

Today's birthdays include Irish playwright Lady Augusta Gregory, or Isabella Augusta Persse; aviator Geraldyn (Jerrie) Cobb (she was the first woman to pass qualifying exams for astronaut training); and German revolutionary Rosa Luxembourg.

The Women's History Project