Francis Marion Beynon (1884-1951) was a journalist and a feminist. She was born on May 21, 1884 in Streetsville, Ontario. The Beynon family moved to Winnipeg after the death of Mr. Beynon in 1896. Francis became a teacher, but worked as a writer. Eventually, she became the editor of the women’s page of the Grain… Read more »
Maud “Tugboat Annie” Griffin (1880-1971) was born Maud Canniff in Minnesota, USA. At 50 years old she passed the ship captain’s exam and became the first licensed female boat pilot in the state of Texas. Before gaining employment as captain of the “New Brunswick,” Maud was the cook on her husband”‘s boat, which operated on… Read more »
Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888) was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania on November 29, 1832. Her father was a teacher who was well known for his controversial teaching methods. Louisa’s first poem “Sunlight” was published in 1852 under a pseudonym, Flora Fairfield. This would prove to be the first step in a successful career that would put… Read more »
Alice Paul (1885-1977), an American suffragist leader, was born into a Quaker family in Moorestown, New Jersey on January 11, 1885. Her tireless struggle for women’s rights triumphantly resulted in women being granted the right to vote in the United States federal election in 1920. However, this feat did not come easy for Paul. She… Read more »
Barbara Longhi (1552-1638), an artist and painter, was born in Ravenna, Italy. She was the daughter of a famous painter, Luca Longhi. Barbara’s paintings were largely religious in nature as were her father’s. Barbara also assisted her father with his creation of Church altarpieces. Perhaps explaining why much of her artistic work resembled her father’s…. Read more »
Margaret Mead (1901-1978), a world-renowned anthropologist, was born in Philadelphia to a Quaker family. She studied anthropology at Barnard University and received her degree in 1923. She continued her studies, receiving her Ph.D. from Columbia University in 1929. At 23 years of age, Margaret went to Samoa in the South Pacific where she studied the… Read more »
Elizabeth Blackwell (1826-1910) was born in England on February 3, 1826. Her family moved to the United States when Elizabeth was a young girl. In 1849, she became the first woman to graduate from medical school and thus paved the way for future women to enter the field of medicine. Elizabeth traveled a difficult road… Read more »
Marie Curie was born in Warsaw on November 7, 1867 as Maria Sklodowska. The premature death of her mother and one of her sisters is said to have caused her to become agnostic. This agnosticism would later encourage her faith in the sciences. Marie was a brilliant student with an unwavering focus. She secretly dreamed… Read more »
Ella Fitzgerald was born on April 25, 1918 in Newport News, Virginia. Throughout her outstanding career, she became known as “The First Lady of Song.” It has been said that she began singing by accident. In 1934, Ella entered an Amateur Night competition at the Apollo. She had planned on dancing during the competition, but… Read more »
Dorothea Lynde Dix was born April 4, 1802 in Hampden, Maine. Dorothea was a social reformer, teacher and author of children’s books. At the age of fifteen, she began a school for girls, as they were not permitted to attend public schools. While working as a substitute teacher at the Massachusetts jail in 1841, Miss… Read more »