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By Val (Angelofmusic)

Important Women in History

((information gathered from http://www.infoplease.com/spot/womenshistory1.html))

March is Women’s History Month. It began as just a week in 1978, and it became Women’s History Month in 1987. March 8th is now known as International Women’s Day. In honor of this month, I’d like to highlight a few important women in history. There are several more than I can fit in this article, so please visit the link above for further information.

Abigail Adams was the wife of U.S. President John Adams. She was an important figure in his administration and was one of the most influential of the first ladies.

Madeleine Albright was the first woman to hold the position of the U.S. Secretary of State. She has served on the National Security Council, been a professor, and served as an advisor to the president, among other numerous accomplishments.

Louisa May Alcott was the author of Little Women, one of the most popular children’s books ever written. Her novels are largely autobiographical and speak about the Civil War era.

Maya Angelou is a writer and performer, and her works have great impact today. She has toured in Broadway musicals and sang in nightclubs. She was active in the civil rights movement, and she edited the African Review while living in Ghana. She has published several books and volumes of poetry.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony were leaders of the women’s movement in the U.S. Susan organized the Daughters of Temperance, the women’s first temperance association. They both toured and gave speeches on abolition and women’s rights. Lucretia Mott worked with Elizabeth Cady Stanton to organize the first women’s rights convention in Seneca Falls, NY. She also toured and spoke on women’s rights, peace, and abolition.

Clara Barton was the founder of the American National Red Cross. She had worked overseas with the International Red Cross and started the American Red Cross in 1881. She helped immensely during the Civil War.

Mary Cassatt was one of the few female Impressionist painters. She was friends with Manet and Degas and learned a great deal from them. Her work holds great importance in the art world. Her favorite subject was celebrating motherhood.

Emily Dickinson was an American poet in the 19th century. She is considered to be one of the greatest poets in American literature.

Amelia Earhart was an American aviator. She made great strides in aviation history and sadly disappeared mysteriously. She was the first woman to make a solo flight across the Atlantic and the first woman to cross the Atlantic by airplane. She was the first person to fly alone from Honolulu, HI to California.

Mary Baker Eddy founded the Christian Science movement in 1866. She published the Science and Health in 1875. She was the leader of this movement and the pastor of the Mother Church. She started The Christian Science Monitor and the Journal of Christian Science. She also published numerous writings.

Ella Fitzgerald was known as the “first lady of song”. She was a Grammy Award winner, and she was considered to be the greatest jazz vocalist of all time. She has influenced many generations of singers.

Mae Jamison was the first African-American woman to enter space, and she was an astronaut on the space shuttle Endeavor in 1992. She has a list of numerous accomplishments to her name as well.

Helen Keller was an American author and lecturer. She was blind and deaf from the age of two and pioneered for the blind and other social causes. She lectured all over America, Europe and Asia.

Maya Yin Lin is an American architect and sculptor. Her works have been widely exhibited. She is best known for her design of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. and the Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, AL.

Juliette “Daisy” Gordon Low founded the Girl Scouts of America. She established the first troop in 1912. She served as president of the organization for several years.

Sandra Day O’Connor was the first woman justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. She started as a lawyer and then became state assistant attorney general and then a U.S. senator. She also served on the Arizona Court of Appeals.

Rosa Louise Parks was a Civil Rights activist. She was the one who sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott when she refused to give up her seat to a while man. She was a member of the NAACP and an aide to a congressman. She received the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1999.

Sally Ride is an American astronaut and astrophysicist. In 1983 she became the first woman in space. She did extensive work at NASA and served on the commissions that investigated the Challenger and Columbia tragedies.

Eleanor Roosevelt was an American humanitarian and first lady to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. She was very active in social causes, women’s organizations and youth movements, and well as bringing awareness for civil rights, welfare, and unemployment.

Harriet Beecher Stowe was an American novelist and humanitarian. Her book Uncle Tom’s Cabin stirred up controversy about slavery and changed the course of history.

Harriet Tubman was a famous American abolitionist. She was born into slavery and eventually escaped. She was one of the most successful conductors of the Underground Railroad and helped over 300 slaves to freedom.

Oprah Winfrey is an actress, talk-show host and a producer. Her talk show is the highest rated in syndication history, and she is one of the highest paid celebrities in the world. When she launched her magazine O, it became one of the most successful new magazines in publishing history. She was the first African American woman to reach billionaire status. She is also known for her humanitarian work and reaching out to women world-wide.