-
Salem Witch Trials
The Salem Witch Trials began in early January of 1692 when several local girls claimed to be possessed by the devil and accused several women, including a homeless beggar woman named Sarah Good, an elderly woman named Sarah Osborn, and a Caribbean slave named Tituba. After a year of hearings and accusations, a total of 200 people - men, women, and children - were accused. 20 people were executed, including the 4-year-old daughter of Sarah Good. -
Abigail Adams
The wife of John Adams and mother of John Quincy Adams, Abigail Adams is one of America's most recognized First Ladies of the United States. Adams is best known for her correspondence with John Adams, providing advice to him on subjects such as politics and government. While John was President, Abigail frequently entertained, and became so involved in politics that the public referred to her as "Mrs. President." Abigail Adams died at the age of 73. -
Sacajawea
Born in the spring of 1788, Sacajawea guided and translated for the Lewis and Clark expedition of the Louisiana Purchase in 1804. While little is known about Sacajawea's life, it is recorded that her presence during the expedition provided a sense of peace to those meeting the exploring company. She and her husband, Toussaint Charbonneau remained lifelong friends with William Clark, eventually settling in St. Louis, MO. Sacajawea died at the age of approximately 25, leaving behind two children. -
Emily Dickinson
Born on December 10, 1830, Emily Dickinson is one of the most well known poets in American literature. Her family was heavily involved in their community, Dickinson lived in isolation for most of her life. Considered eccentric, Dickinson was fond of white clothing and never greeted company. Her poems were discovered only after she died, with less than a dozen being published during her life. What was published was heavily edited to conform to society's rulings. Dickinson died in 1886. -
Carrie Nation
Born Carrie (or Carry) Amelia Moore in 1846, Carrie Nation was a radical member of the Temperance movement, best known for smashing barrels of liquor in saloons with rocks and a hatchet. Nation was also a firm believer in the opposition of tight women's clothing. Standing at almost 6 feet tall, Nation herself refused to wear a corset. She married twice, divorced twice, and had one daughter. Her first husband died of alcoholism in 1869. Nation died on June 9, in 1911. Nation was 64. -
Harriet Tubman
Born at an unknown date in 1822, Harriet Tubman was a humanitarian, abolitionist, and a Civil War scout and spy. A runaway slave herself, Tubman made over 15 trips to the South to help slaves escape to the North and find work. Throughout her trips, Tubman (known as "Moses") never once lost a passenger on what became known as the Underground Railroad. During the Civil War, Tubman was the first woman to lead an expedition, one that led to the freedom of 700 slaves. She died March 10, 1913, at 91. -
Calamity Jane
Born Martha Jane Canary, Calamity Jane was a frontiersmen and scout who claimed to be acquainted with Wild Bill Hickock and fought against Native Americans. The oldest of 6, her father had a gambling problem and her mother was a prostitute, while she was an alcoholic. Canary and her siblings were orphaned when Canary was 14, when she became the head of the family, taking odd jobs to supply an income. She was illiterate, and many of her claims cannot be proven true or false. She died in 1903. -
Annie Oakley
Born Phoebe Ann Mosey, Annie Oakley was a sharpshooter by birth. Growing up, her father died when Annie was young, leaving behind her mother, Annie, and 8 other siblings. Annie received very little education. She was first recognized for her talents when she was 15, when she won a shooting match against Frank E. Butler, whom would later become her husband. Together they joined Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, performing before both royalty and heads of state. Oakley died on November 3, 1926. -
Jane Addams
An American settlement activist, social worker, sociologist, author, and women's suffrage leading activist, Jane Addams was regarded as one of the most prominent reformers of the Progressive Era. Informing the public on issues like children's health, world peace, and health care, Addams was held in high regard by mothers across America. Together with Ellen Gates Starr, they founded Hull's House in Chicago. Addams is the first American woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace prize. She died in 1935. -
Susan B. Anthony
Susan B. Anthony was born on February 15, 1820, and became a major force in the women's suffrage movement. Together with Elizabeth Cady Stanton, formed groups such as the New York Women's State Temperance Society, the Women's Loyal National League, the American Equal Rights Association and the National Woman Suffrage Association, which eventually merged with another group and became the National American Woman Suffrage Association. Anthony died on March 13, 1906 at the age of 86. -
Laura Ingalls Wilder
Wilder was born in the Big Woods region of Wisconsin in early spring of 1867. The second of five children, Laura and her family moved from place to place often. The Ingall's moved over 12 times before settling in Walnut Grove, Minnesota. She married Almanzo Wilder in 1885, when she was 18 and he was 28. In her adult years, she became an author, writing about her childhood in a settler family. The Little House on the Prairie became a best selling series. Laura Ingalls Wilder died in 1949. -
Sojourner Truth
Born Isabella Baumfree in 1797, Sojourner Truth was a freed runaway slave from Swartekill, New York. In 1828 she went to court to recover her son, and became the first black woman to ever win such a case against a white man. In 1843 she officially changed her name, because "God had called her to spread the hope inside her." She became an abolitionist and woman's rights activist, travelling the country to speak with people. Her most famous speech is "Ain't I a Woman?". She died in 1883. -
Alice Paul
Born January 11, 1885, Alice Paul was a feminist, suffragist, and women's rights activist. Her parents were William and Tace Paul, and her mother was a member of the National American Women Suffrage Association. Paul was also at the forefront of planning the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. After 1920, Alice Paul became the leader of the National Women's Party. Paul was also successful in securing the inclusion of women into the Civil Rights Act of 1964. She died in July of 1977. -
Rosa Parks
Rosa Louise McCauley Parks, born in 1913, was an American civil rights activist. Nicknamed by Congress the "mother of the freedom movement," Parks is best known for refusing to give up her seat on a segregated bus. Parks was a secretary for the NAACP at the time, but this act of civil disobedience gained her national attention, becoming an icon of resistance to racial segregation. She began working with other public leaders such as MLK in the fight for racial equality. She died in 2005, at 92. -
19th Amendment
The idea to include women in voting was first proposed to Congress in 1878. The amendment is identical to the fifteenth, however the text reads "based on sex" rather than "based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude." Originally proposed by Senator Aaron Sargent, a friend of Susan B. Anthony and dedicated women's rights advocate. Both Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Staton testified before Congress in support, but the amendment wasn't ratified until 40 years later, in 1920. -
Betty Friedan
Betty Friedan was born on February 4, 1921. An author, feminist, and activist, Friedan's book The Feminine Mystique (written in 1963) helped spark the second wave of feminism in the United States. She co-founded and became the first president of National Organization of Women (NOW). After stepping down from the position, Friedan organized the Women's Strike for Equality in 1970. In her life, Friedan wrote six books on the subject of feminism. Betty Friedan died in 2006, on her birthday. -
Marilyn Monroe
Born Norma Jean Mortenson in 1926, Marilyn Monroe rose to stardom through acting and modeling. In her childhood, Monroe was in and out of foster homes and orphanages, then marrying at 16. She got her start while working in a factory in 1944. Her roles as the "dumb blonde comic relief" made Monroe a national sex symbol in the 1950's, but her career was cut short by her unexpected death in 1962. Her movies grossed over $200 million dollars. Monroe died from what experts call a probable suicide. -
Debbie Reynolds
Mary Frances "Debbie" Reynolds was born on April 1, 1932 and passed away on December 28, 2016. She was an American singer, actress, businesswoman, author, humanitarian and film historian. She starred in many films including "Singin' in the Rain" and "Tammy and the Bachelor". Her performance as Molly Brown in "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" earned Reynolds earned her an Academy Awards nomination. She was also in "Halloween Town" as Aggie Cromwell. Reynolds passed away from a stroke in December. -
Geraldine Ferraro
Geraldine Anne Ferraro was born August 26, 1935 in Newburgh, New York. Ferraro's father died when she was eight, causing the family to move into low-income housing. Ferraro attended a private school, using income from a rental house in Italy and sometimes holding more than one job. She went to law school and in 1984, became the first female VP nominee in history. While she lost the election, she was still an attorney and member of the House of Representatives. She died in 2011. -
Janet Reno
The daughter of two reporters, Janet Wood Reno was born in Miami Florida on July 21, 1938. In high school she was valedictorian\ and on the debate team. She attended college at Cornell University, graduating with a degree in chemistry. In 1959 she enrolled in Harvard Law School, one of 16 women in her class of 500. In 1993, Reno was appointed Attorney General by President Bill Clinton in March of that year and became the first woman AG and the second-longest serving. She died in 2016. -
Meryl Streep
Mary Louise "Meryl" Streep was born on June 22, 1949 in Summit, New Jersey. Regarded as "the best actress of her generation" (which she denies), Streep has been nominated for over one hundred and fifty awards in her career. Starring in movies such as "Postcards From the Edge", "The Devil Wears Prada", "Julie and Julia", "Into The Woods", and "August: Osage County". Streep is also well known and highly regarded for her speech given at the Golden Globes in January of 2016. I love her. -
Condoleezza Rice
Born November 14, 1954, Condoleezza "Condi" Rice is a politician, diplomat, in addition to being the second black and female Secretary of State (following Madeline Albright and Colin Powell). During President Bush's first term, Rice was the National Security Team's head adviser. She was also a part of the National Security Council as the Soviet and Eastern Europe Affairs Adviser. -
Carrie Fisher
Carrie Frances Fisher was born on October 21, 1956. Her mother was famous actress Debbie Reynolds, and her father was Eddie Fisher. An American actress, humorist, author, and mental health advocate, Fisher was best known for her role as Princess Leia Skywalker in the Star Wars film series. Fisher wrote several semi-autobiographical novels, a screenplay for one of them, and a one woman play. Fisher was also a script doctor for other writers. She died unexpectedly on December 27, 2016. -
Sarah Palin
Sarah Palin was born on February 11, 1964 and is an American politician, author, and commentator. Palin served as the ninth Governor of Alaska from 2006-2009, when she resigned. Palin was the official Vice President nominee of the Republican party with John McCain in the 2008 election. Palin was the first Alaskan and the first woman to be nominated on a major party ticket. Her book "Going Rogue" has sold over two million copies. Sarah Palin can also see Russia from her kitchen window. -
Griswold v Connecticut
A law in Connecticut presented by P.T. Barnum banning the use of medication to prevent contraception became one of the most restrictive birth control laws in the U.S. In 1965, Estelle and Richard Griswold took the law to the Connecticut Supreme Court after they were arrested during an act of civil disobedience (they opened a small clinic providing advice to women). Their convictions were overturned and the law was deemed unconstitutional. -
Title IX
Title IX is a division of the Education Amendments of 1972. The portion states "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance." It was officially adopted on June 23, 1972. -
Roe v Wade
Roe v Wade is a landmark decision made by the US Supreme Court on the "issue" of legal abortions and a woman's right to choose. In 1970, two attorney's named Linda Coffee and Sarah Weddington took on a case in which a woman under the alias of Jane Roe had become pregnant and could not get a legal abortion. On January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court decided in a 7-2 decision that abortion was a fundamental right under the Constitution and the 9th Amendment, a person's right to privacy. -
Sandra Day O'Conner
Born March 26, 1930, Sandra Day O'Conner is a mother, author, activist, and the first woman to be appointed to the Supreme Court as an associate justice from 1981 to her retirement in 2006. O'Conner was appointed to the Supreme Court by way of a 99-0 vote. O'Conner is considered a federalist and Moderate Republican, and tended to side with the Court's conservative bloc. Towards the end of her career, however, O'Conner began to be regarded as having the swing decision in cases. Still living. -
Serena Williams
Serena Jameka Williams was born on September 26, 1981, and is an American professional tennis player. She has been ranked by the American Tennis Association number one in the world in singles on six separate occasions. Her wins and achievements have gained her so much success that athletes and sports reporters alike regard Williams as the greatest female tennis player of all time. Williams has also tied the record for most U.S. Open competitions won, with 6 wins. -
Sally Ride
Sally Ride was born May 26, 1951 in Los Angeles, California. The daughter of two Presbyterian church elders, Ride focused on a different career - physics. In 1978 Ride earned her PhD in physics while studying at Stanford University. Also in 1978, Ride was chosen to join NASA's space program. She became a ground-based capsule communicator (CapCom), and eventually moved up the ladder to become the first woman and youngest American astronaut to go to space. Sally Ride died of cancer in 2012. -
Ibtihaj Muhammad
Ibtihaj Muhammad, born December 4, 1985, is an American sabre fencer and member of the United States fencing team. Muhammad placed second in the team division in the 2016 Rio Olympics, and became the first Muslim-American to ever medal in the United States. Muhammad was also recognized as the first Muslim-American woman to wear the hijab while competing. -
Family Medical Leave Act
Created in 1993, the FMLA is a federal law requiring employers to provide employees unpaid leave and job-protection when there are medical or family related reasons. The bill was a major key in President Bill Clinton's first term agenda. With FMLA in place, the idea was to balance the workplace and family life. Eligible employees have the option to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave within a 12-month period. The bill was signed into action on February 5, 1993. -
Sonia Sotomayor
Born June 25, 1954, Sonia Sotomayor is an American Justice of the United States Supreme Court, serving since August of 2009. Sotomayor is the first justice of Hispanic heritage, one of the youngest people to serve, the third female justice, and the first Latina justice. Sonia Sotomayor was nominated to the United States Supreme by President Barack Obama in May of 2009, and was confirmed in August of 2009 by a 68-31 vote. Sotomayor is known for making impassioned dissents on race and gender. -
Hillary Rodham Clinton
HRC was born on October 26, 1947 and has been gracing the United States with her presence ever since HRC was the FLOTUS from 1993-2001, the New York State Senator from 2001-2009, the United States Secretary of State from 2009-2013 & the winner of the popular vote in the 2016 Presidential Election. HRC is also the POMH (of my heart). She attended Wesley College, graduating in 1969, and then graduating from Yale School of Law in 1973. She now attends Broadway shows and hikes. I love her. -
Simone Biles
Simone Arianne Biles was born March 14, 1997 and is an American artistic gymnast. Biles won the gold medal in the 2016 Rio Olympics in individual all-around, vault, and floor. Biles is the member of the "Final Five", the gold medal winning team. Biles is the three time world all-around champion, three-time world floor champion, two-time world beam champion, four-time United States National all-around champion, and a member of the gold winning all-around United States Artistic Gymnastics team.
