One Deadly Virus that Won’t Kill You

In the twentieth century, about 300 million people across the world died from one disease in particular. If you were lucky enough to survive, scars disfigured you or disabled you or both. Many of those scars were on the face. Which disease? It was the variola virus, more commonly called smallpox. It’s one deadly virus…… Continue reading One Deadly Virus that Won’t Kill You

The First Female Olympic Champion to Strike Gold

The first modern Olympic Games took place in Athens, Greece, April 6–15, 1896. Women athletes could not participate for ninety-four years. Hélène de Pourtalès of Switzerland became the first female athlete to compete at the Olympic Games and the first female Olympic Champion to strike gold. About Hélène contessa Hélène de Pourtalès (pronounced El-én day…… Continue reading The First Female Olympic Champion to Strike Gold

Wife, Mother, Patriot, and Revolutionary War Spy

She was a wife, mother, patriot, and Revolutionary War spy. The only female in George Washington’s Culper Spy Ring (aka Setauket Spy Ring), Anna Smith Strong, had an ingenious way to send messages under the noses of the British… her laundry. The British Take New York City The American Revolutionary War had been raging for…… Continue reading Wife, Mother, Patriot, and Revolutionary War Spy

Unconventional Women of History No One Taught You About

It takes a strong woman to face a world that doesn’t value her gender. Some are strong enough to make the world see her, to value her. Historical labels for those who were born one gender but identified as another included monstrous, perverse, or insane. We may never know their truth. Only the tip of…… Continue reading Unconventional Women of History No One Taught You About