March is Women's History Month
While we appreciate everything well-known women have done for the betterment of society (Rosa Parks, Gloria Steinem, Harriet Tubman, Georgia O'Keefe, Eleanor Roosevelt, Amelia Earhart, just to name a few), we would like to focus on lesser known women who all had great impact.
Ada Lovelace (1815 - 1852)
English Mathematician, Writer
Lovelace is regarded as the first computer programmer helping mathematician Charles Babbage develop an early mechanical general-purpose computer, the Analytical Engine.
To learn more about Ada Lovelace click here.
Chinese-American Experimental Physicist
Referred to as the "First Lady of Physics," Ms. Wu worked closely on the Manhattan Project. Her experiments contradicted the law of conservation of parity. A United States National Academy of Sciences member in 1958, Wu went on to become the first female president of the American Physical Society in 1975.
To learn more about Chien-Shiung Wu click here and here.
Iranian Lawyer and Human Rights Activist
Shirin Ebadi was Iran's first female judge. Ebadi has also opened a legal practice to defend people who are being persecuted by the authorities. After being imprisoned in 2000 for having criticized her country's hierocracy, Ebadi took up the struggle for fundamental human rights, particularly the rights of women and children. Ebadi won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2008.
To learn more about Shirin Ebadi click here.
Inventor, Business-Woman, Self-Made Millionaire
Inspired by her scalp condition that caused hair loss, Walker invented a line of African-American hair care products in 1905. She established Madame C.J. Walker Laboratories to manufacture cosmetics and train sales beauticians (even started a franchise system empowering hundreds of African American women). Walker is one of the first American female self-made millionaires.
To learn more about Madam C.J. Walker click here.
Alice Paul (1885 - 1977)
Women's Rights Activist
An ardent Suffragist, Paul was a key figure of the passage of the 19th Amendment. Paul was also involved in introducing the first Equal Rights Amendment in Congress in 1923.
To learn more about Alice Paul click here.
German Mathematician
Noether created landmark contributions to abstract algebra and theoretical physics that have been lauded by Albert Einstein as one of the most important gifts to modern science. Noether always faced tremendous obstacles in her life, first enduring years of poor treatment by German universities and later, being forced out of Germany by the Nazis in 1933.
To learn more about Emmy Noether click here.
Civil Rights Movement Pioneer
In 1955, at age 15, Colvin was the first African American arrested for not giving up her seat to a white person on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama (nine months before Rosa Parks). Though considered a pioneer, it is believed that Colvin's contributions were never widely publicized by community leaders because of her feisty personality and her teenage pregnancy.
To learn more about Claudette Colvin click here.
Film-making Pioneer: Writer, Director, Producer
Producing and directing her first film in 1896 at the age of 23, Guy-Blache went on to write, direct and produce over 1,000 films. Considered a cinematic visionary, Alice Guy-Blache ran her own film studio and experimented with sound syncing, color tinting, interracial casting and special effects.
To learn more about Alice Guy-Blache click here.
First Asian American Female Pilot
Katherine Cheung earned her piloting license in 1923 at a time when only 1% of of about 200 American pilots were women. Cheung also learned many plane stunts and thrilled audiences with her aerobatics at county fairs within California.
To learn more about Katherine Cheung click here.