In the late nineteenth-century, few women had access to higher education, especially in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Born to a poor immigrant family, Hertha Marks Ayrton let nothing stop her. She was a suffragette, a physicist, a mathematician, and an inventor. She was the woman men wanted to ignore. Early Life On April… Continue reading The Woman Men Wanted to Ignore
Category: Strong Women
Her Story is Missing from Our History Books
Ruth Margaret Muskrat Bronson, a Cherokee poet, educator and Indian rights activist, is a person who should be in all our history books. Her passion, creativity, and dedication to her people alone earned her a place in history. But her story is a missing from our history books. Muskrat Bronson acted when women were struggling to be… Continue reading Her Story is Missing from Our History Books
The Insanity of Inequality
In 1851, the state of Illinois opened its first hospital for the mentally ill. The state legislature passed a law to protect people from being committed against his or her will. The law required a public hearing before committing a person, with one exception. A husband could have his wife committed without either a public… Continue reading The Insanity of Inequality
A tiny Crack in Male-dominated Science
Despite the limitations 19th century society put on amateur scientist, Eunice Newton Foote, she made a tiny crack in male-dominated science.
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 Hélène de Pourtalès (pronounced El-én day Por-tá-lay)… Continue reading The First Female Olympic Champion to Strike Gold