Saturday, March 15, 2008

Womens' Firsts

I always like reading this kind of stuff because it makes me realise how little reality is covered in the history books that we go through school with, growing up.

Did you know:


Ann Teresa Mathews
First woman whose invention received a patent (for cleaning and curing corn) - it was granted to her husband 1715
(Figures!)

Lucy Brewer First woman marine 1812

Jeannette Rankin First woman U.S. House Representative (Montana) 1916

Jane Addams First woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize 1931

Hattie Wyatt Caraway First woman elected to U.S. Senate 1932

Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova First woman to fly in space, aboard Vostok 6. 1963

Penny Harrington First woman police chief of major U. S. city (Portland, OR) 1985

Antoinette Blackwell becomes the first American woman to be ordained a minister in a recognized denomination (Congregational).

Rebecca Lee Crumpler becomes the first black woman to receive an M.D. degree. She graduated from the New England Female Medical College

Ellen Swallow Richards, the first woman to be admitted to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, earns her B.S. degree. She becomes the first female professional chemist in the U.S.

Susanna Medora Salter becomes the first woman elected mayor of an American town, in Argonia, Kansas.
(Can you imagine being the first mayor in a country where women couldn't even vote? A handful of states, yes but still!)

I've only heard of a couple of these women before researching for this list. You know what else I discovered? That I haven't found just the right mix of search terms to find women who aren't American. Suggestions greatly appreciated.
And here is the rest of it.

4 comments:

Trouble said...

Don't you hate it when someone takes credit for someone else's idea's? I guess back in those days people didnt want to admit that women actually had a brain. Can't deny it now....

ed waldo (Hart Williams) said...

Here is a story you might like, then, about a whole STATE full of women's political firsts. From March 10.

The Wyoming Women You DIDN'T See

Oregonian37 said...

ed,
WOW, this is great stuff! I feel another post coming on later today.:)

Thank you for sharing this link. Have you sent it to Hilary's campaign yet?:)

Diane J Standiford said...

That's why they call it HIS story.