Mary Lyon

Today is educator Mary Lyon's birthday. She found Mt. Holyoke Female Seminary in 1837.

The Women's History Project

Today in Women's History

On today's date in 1922, the US Supreme Court upheld the 19th Amendment to the Constitution which guarantees women the right to vote. Also on today's date are the birthdays of singer
Marian Anderson (1902-1993), physician Alice Hamilton (1869–1970), and actress Elizabeth Taylor (1932-).

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Get ready...get set...go!

Best birthday wishes to Olympic swimmer Jenny Thompson (1973-)!

Also, get ready for March's National Women's History Month next month. The celebrations started when, in 1978, the Education Task Force of the Sonoma County (California) Commission on the Status of Women created Women's History Week on the week of March 8th (which is International Women's Day). The National Women's History Project has done lots of work since; they succeded in securing a Congressional Resolution declaring a National Women's History Week in 1981, and, in 1987, NWHP "petitioned Congress to expand the national celebration to the entire month of March. Since then, the National Women's History Month Resolution has been approved with bipartisan support in both the House and Senate." You can start planning at their link here.

The Women's History Project

Help out the AWN!

One of the U.S. Women's History Project's friends and partners, the Advocacy Project, informed us that the Afghan Women's Network office in Kabul was recently burned down by accident. Thankfully few were hurt, but they are rebuilding everything at the high cost of $50,000 plus. They're asking for donations, and have raised about $1,200 so far, which is pretty good! You can see pictures of the fire and donate online at this link: http://advocacynet.org/page/awnfire.

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Today's Women's History

The 22nd is poet Edna St. Vincent Millay's birthday (1892-1950). She was the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1923 for The Ballad of the Harp-Weaver: A Few Figs from Thistles: Eight Sonnets in American Poetry, 1922. A Miscellany. It is also the birthday of Sioux-Indian writer and activist Gertrude Bonnin, also known as Zitkala-Sa. (1876-1938). She founded National Council of American Indians in 1926.

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What Happened In Women's History Today?

Today is the American novelist Amy Tan's birthday. She is the author of many books including The Joy Luck Club and Sagwa, The Chinese Siamese Cat, which later became a hit cartoon series on PBS Kids. Find out more about her at http://www.amytan.net.

What happened in Women's History today?

On today's date, labor organizer and founding member of both the NAACP and the Women's Trade Union League Leonora O'Reilly (1870-1927) was born today, along with actress Katharine Cornell (1898-1974)! Also today in 1980, "Mary Decker breaks the indoor mile world record finishing race in 4:17:55." (Thanks to NWHP for that info.)

The Women's History Project

Happy Valentine's Day!

As part of their Valentine's celebrations, the National Organization of Women is promoting "Love Your Body" Day. They say
"Whether single or in a relationship, Valentine's Day and every day is the right day to love yourself. Take Action NOW! Join the fight against negative self-image promoted by mainstream media. Take our Valentine's Day Love Your Body quiz and spread the love by forwarding it on to other women for Valentine's Day, and always - LOVE YOUR BODY!"

So…

Happy birthday to former first lady Elizabeth Truman (1885-1982) and Pauline Frederick (1906-1990), the first woman network radio and TV correspondent (1939).

The Women's History Project

Famous Birthdays

Today is host to not only President Abe Lincoln's and anthropologist Charles Darwin's birthdays, but also writer Judy Blume and Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova. Also on the 12th in 1962 was when Eleanor Roosevelt became the first chair of the President's Commission on the Status of Women (thanks to NWHP).

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Today's Birthdays!

Today is both singer/musician Sheryl Crow and writer Lydia Maria Child's birthdays!

The Women's History Project

On today's date, American international opera singer Leontyne Price (1927-) was born, as was famed actress Stella Adler (1901-1992).

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P.S. On February 9, the first convention of National Women's Political Caucus met in Houston, Texas in 1973. Also, it was feministic author Alice Walker's birthday (1944-) who was the first African American woman to win Pulitzer Prize for fiction (The Color Purple).

Girl Power!

Take a look at the Girl Power! Campaign website! It is "the national public education campaign sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to help encourage and motivate 9- to 13- year-old girls to make the most of their lives. Girls at 8 or 9 typically have very strong attitudes about their health, so Girl Power! seeks to reinforce and sustain these positive values among girls ages 9-13 by targeting health messages to the unique needs, interests, and challenges of girls."

The Women's History Project

Today in Women's History

On today's date, in 1973, the Government Printing Office ruled that the prefix "Ms." is an acceptable, optional identifying label in government publications (Thanks to NWHP for the info.) Also, today is British archeologist Mary Douglas Leakey's birthday.

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Outlaw Belle Starr!

Today is the famous Belle Starr of the Wild West's birthday! (Today is also Pancake Day.)

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P.S. We neglected to post that the 4th was author and feminist Betty Freidan's birthday, civil rights activist Rosa Parks' birthday, and National Women in Sports Day!

Birthdays of Note!

Happy Birthday to physician Elizabeth Blackwell (1821-1910), author Gertrude Stein (1874–1946), industry executive Linda Wachner (1946-), and award-winning science teacher J. Catherine Roberts (1953-).

P.S. Since today is the U.S.A.'s Super Bowl Sunday, take a peek at these pages about women in sports: Women in Sports at About.com and FactMonster's Women in Sports.

February 2nd

We neglected to mention on our last post that February 1st was also Hattie Wyatt Caraway's (1878-1950) birthday. She was the first women elected to the U.S. Senate in 1932, and she also was the first women to preside over the Senate in 1943. Today is model Christie Brinkley's birthday.

The Women's History Project
P.S. February 2nd is also Groundhog Day! Punxsutawney Phil predicted six more weeks of winter: see the news story here.

Youth Leadership and Black History Month

February 1st marks the beginning of Youth Leadership Month and Black History Month! (Check out these links: http://www.factmonster.com/spot/bhm1.html and http://teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/indepth/black_history/index.htm.)

The Women's History Project
P.S. Take a look at this website: The Political Voices of Women: Opinion and Commentary of Over 200 Women Political Bloggers .