Rosalind Franklin. Do you remember her? Franklin said, "Science, for me, gives a partial explanation for life." How true is that? She would be my choice for this week's blog. Influential, an under-dog and definitely not appreciated by her male counterparts, Franklin is an epic female scientist.
This week I would like you to pick an influential woman. Ideally, I would like you to find an influential female scientist, but the more I pondered over this week's blog the more I realized that there are other women out there that should be recognized. What did your influential woman do? Why did you pick her? Does she have any cool quotes? Please attach a link to where you found your research. If you are really stuck and can't think of any influential women, you can do some research about inequality instead. Please give specific examples of inequality and tell me where you learned about it. (Include a link to your research sites.)
I picked Princess Diana because she used her political figure to improve lives all over the world. Diana was princess of Wales some of her more important work was improving hospitals and build new ones where they were most needed. Her natural sympathy toward patients lead her to her project with Aids. She contently visited Aids patients to spread knowledge of Aids and in time stopping rumors about the contamination of Aids. My favorite quote by Diana is: "I don't want expensive gifts; I don't want to be bought. I have everything I want. I just want someone to be there for me, to make me feel safe and secure."
ReplyDeletehttp://www.biographyonline.net/people/short-bio-princess-diana.html
I really enjoy this quote by Princess Diana. This is a very good philosophy to live by, and we too should think more like her.
DeletePrincess Diana was also up on my list of influential women. I loved her heart and her passion to serve others. I also liked this quote! It shows how she was not absorbed into worldly things but instead cherished the meaningful things in life.
DeleteEveryday I go to the mailbox to fetch the mail for my mother, and their is often a magazine in the mailbox that is a very common visitor. This, of course, is the Oprah Winfrey magazine, and even though I never think about it again after I set the mail down on the counter, Oprah has not only made a magazine, but a multitude of differences in our modern era. She is best known for her show which aired from 1986 to 2011, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and also for the magazine’s which are shipped out monthly in her name. What is behind these media productions, however, is much more powerful. Winfrey suffered through a mass amount of criticism as time went on, due to her parts that she played in shows and even topics that she covered on her own program. However, as time went on, she slowly gained the respect of her viewers, and in 2011 launched her own network. Before long, Oprah had become one of the richest African American women of the 20th century and was the only Black billionaire for three years running. She was named a philanthropist by many magazines, and even has been known to raise funds and donate to causes such as relief for hurricane Katrina and girl’s education in South Africa. She has been an advocate for many charities in our community, and even helped the Barack Obama campaign in 2007. Although she may be losing popularity as time continues, she stands as a definite role model for women worldwide.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.biography.com/people/oprah-winfrey-9534419?page=1
I too agree that Oprah Winfrey made an impact on society. In 1985, Oprah officially had her own show called, "The Oprah Winfrey Show". Through this broadcast she changed lives with inspiration. Her whole goal as she grew up had the mind set that she wanted to make happiness and have purpose. Her mother, a maid, assumed Oprah would end up like her, washing cloths in a pot outside and drying them on a hanging line. Not wanting to be a maid, Oprah set a goal to inspire students. Although she thought she'd be a teacher, she did just as much inspiration if not more as a television host announcing her presence to the world. Like you said, she gave many charities as well and cared for the world around her. I admire her will to inspire so I chose Oprah Winfrey as well.
DeleteOne women to be recognized is Dorothy Hodgkin, an extremely influential scientist of the 1900's. Being born in Egypt and moving straight to England to start her studies, she began a quite the adventurous life. In England, she surprisingly was able to study with the boys, as only one of the two girls accepted in. At the school she studied chemistry and used X-ray crystallography, a process of using x-rays to determine a molecules structure. This process ignited her flame of life's work, for she began to perfect the technique. In 1964, she was then awarded a noble peace prize for discovering the structure of penicillin, vitamin B12 and insulin using her methods. Proving Dorothy to be a strong woman because she never let her gender difference stop her from succeeding. One thing that truly fascinated me about Ms. Hodgkin was her appearance on the Royal Societies stamps of 2010. Not only was she listed as part of the top 10 of the society’s most illustrious members, but she was the only female listed. What an honor! The idea of being grouped into the the same category as Isaac Newton and Benjamin Franklin, indicates just how powerful her life's work had.
ReplyDeletemy source: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/ten-historic-female-scientists-you-should-know-84028788/?page=2
I think it is really great that at a time when women were not widely accepted, Dorothy was able to study with men and make some very important discoveries. This just goes to show that women are just as important as men and we can do anything we set our minds to!
DeleteI can`t imagine the hardships she faced getting men to take her seriously as a scientist, especially in a time when most women didn`t even work. Her work has saved many lives, yet I had never heard of her before and I doubt many of my peers have either. The fact that she overcame gender differences to become so successful is incredibly inspiring. Sometimes I resent the fact that men get more recognition than women usually, but she proved that anybody, regardless of gender, can be an influential scientist.
DeleteIn 4th grade we had to do a project on an influential person in history and I had chosen Anne Frank. Ever since then, she's been my role model because of her tremendous strength. I've read her diary a few times as well and the fact that she was around my age give or take a few years shocked me. She had to live through the holocaust as a girl of jewish descent breaks my heart because she could have done so much more with her life. She was at a disadvantage as she was jewish, and because she was a girl as well she didn't have much power to change how she and her family were treated. On July 6th in 1942 Anne and her family had to go into hiding to avoid their family falling into the hand of the Nazi's. Though her story was a lot like other's from this time, she was able to leave behind a legacy and show how cruel that time truly was. Her diary brought light to how a young girl survived her short life during this time period. On July 15th 1944 Anne wrote "It's utterly impossible for me to build my life on a foundation of chaos, suffering and death."... "I see the world being slowly transformed into a wilderness; I hear the approaching thunder that, one day, will destroy us too. I feel the suffering of millions. And yet, when I look up at the sky, I somehow feel that everything will change for the better, that this cruelty too shall end, that peace and tranquility will return once more." Anne Frank is an inspiration to women all around because of her strength and the legacy she left behind.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.biography.com/people/anne-frank-9300892?page=1
I, also, learned about Anne Frank but only of last year. The most shocking thing to me is that she never knew her journal, and herself, would become a legacy and role model to all sexes today. It just goes to show, no matter how young you may be, there's always a slight way to make an impact in the world; even if its in your own community :) I'm personally inspired by Anna Frank. Struggling through a time of despair and still finding a way to vent without taking crude measures such as suicide. Only being 16 when she passed is so heartbreaking, but she will forever be remembered.
DeleteI have read a great portion of Anne Frank's diary and I agree that her story is incredibly sad. She died so young, never knowing how much of an impact she would have on the world for many years after her death. In her diary I remember reading that she aspired to become an author; in a way, her dream did come true, even though it was after her death. It just goes to show that anyone can make an impact, even at a very young age.
DeleteWangari Maathai was both an environmentalist and a women's rights advocate. She started an organization called the Green Belt Movement, this organization encouraged women to plant trees, later these trees could be used for fire wood or for other necessities and replanted. I picked Wangari Maathai because she has inspired people all across the world, and because she never gave up even when things seemed tough. Wangari Maathai once said "Until you dig a hole, you plant a tree, you water it and make it survive, you haven't done a thing. You are just talking." she also once said "You strike women, you strike rock."
ReplyDeleteSource: http://www.greenbeltmovement.org/wangari-maathai
http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2004/maathai-facts.html
She sounds like a really cool lady! I really like the quote about women being rocks.
DeleteFor this weeks blog I chose Rosa Parks because she began the fight against segregation. This comes to show that it didn't take a man starting an all out brawl, but a peaceful woman who thought it was wrong. This paved the way for people like MLK jr. or Malcom X to continue the fight against segregation.
ReplyDeleteKevin,
DeleteThis needs more detail. Where is your source?
There are so many women that should be recognized for the contributions they have given to our society, but one woman that really inspired me was Ruzena Bajcsy. She has helped progress the process of robots reacting to their environment, and that is huge. We have robots by the coast that detect weather conditions to even the smallest robots that maintain a yard. This one lady has influenced all of this, and that's crazy!! Thinking into the future, her contribution can have a tremendous impact on how our future world will function. Being able to have an influence as a woman , even today, is sometimes rare and that needs to change. Ruzena trulely amazes me with all she's accomplished, and I wish to be like her one day.
ReplyDeletehttp://discovermagazine.com/2002/nov/feat50#.Ux8PlPnwmJs
If I'm honest, it makes me a little sad to think that there are so many women out there who haven't gotten enough credit for their work, especially since I haven't heard of many of them. Ruzena is someone I never knew about, and I wish I did because her work with robots is something we are working with today, and most likely will be working with in the future. it's sad that not everyone knows of the women who influenced all of this.
DeleteSadly, I have never heard of Ruzena Bajcsy, and like Imaima said, I feel bad for all the women who never got credit for their amazing discoveries, especially when they even influence our everyday lives! She sounds like a very intelligent woman, and I appreciate what she had contributed to us.
DeleteWomen often do many influential things without receiving their fair share of the credit. For this week's blog, I decided to choose a female scientist that knew hardship and struggle, worked to make important discoveries, and yet was never quite credited for her amazing work in the way she deserved. Lise Meitner. Lise worked on studies of nuclear fission in 1939. Her preliminary, groundbreaking studies were the basis off of which many other scientist worked on things like atomic bombs. Unfortunately, this was all taking place at the time when Hitler was coming into power. Meinter, a Jew, had to flee Germany to escape the holocaust. This meant that Meitner also had to flee her work and studies. She made so many discoveries with her parter, Otto Hahn, yet it was Hahn that won the Nobel Prize for their work and not Lise. Lise Meitner is a perfect example of how women were not always given the credit they deserve. Lise Meitner was a great scientist, and she set a standard for women everywhere.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.sciencechannel.com/famous-scientists-discoveries/10-women-in-science.htm
Kayla, I never even knew about Lise Meitner. She really is a perfect example of how women are not given all the credit they deserve, and I wish that they were given credit for what they have done so that women like Meitner were known to many more people in the world.
DeleteWOW! Lise deserved a little more credit than she got, but at least her name is recorded in history. This reminds me a lot about the finding of the structure of the DNA. Though Franklin helped an enormous amount, when it came to the Nobel prize it was given to Watson and Crick. Its surprising how much this occurs in history!!
DeleteI decided instead of focusing on one woman I am going to write about the females serving in our us military and why they deserve as much recognition as the males in our military. Most of these women have family's just like the men and can't wait to get home to see their loved ones. Think about this, how many female war heroes have you actually heard of? Not many. Even in war movies, an example could be The Hurt Locker. I don't recall seeing one female solider in that movie so, when i went to see Battle LA I was glad to see a female in it. Another great example of this is the movie Mulan because since she is revealed as a woman none of the men trust her again and believe she isn't strong enough to fight. My point is, women can be just as strong as men and shouldn't be excluded out of anything when it comes to fighting a war or being recognized as a hero.
ReplyDeleteAnd my source? My own mind!
I agree with Brockton. Most of the time when people think of military, they think of men serving in our military. But what about the women? The women go through the same things as men do in the military and they aren't recognized as much as they should be.
DeleteI agree. Women in the military don't get the credit they deserve. They fight for our country and risk their lives just like the men do. It think women deserve much more recognition like you said. I never really thought much about this before, but now this has really opened my eyes.
DeleteSomeone who I have always found inspiring is Sarah Breedlove McWilliams Walker, or Madame C. J. Walker. This woman was the first African-American woman self-made millionaire. She lived a hard life but didn't let it stop her from making a name for herself. Born in 1867, she was the daughter of former slaves who died when she was only 7. At 14 she married, but her husband died only 2 years later. At this time she moved to St. Louis and got work as a laundrywoman. When she was in her 30s she noticed her hair beginning to fall out due to scalp problems. This was one indignity she was not going to stand for. By experimenting with home remedies and with the help of her friend and business partner Annie Malone, she came up with a solution that not only revolutionized hair care, but also opened the way to success for black women everywhere. Madame Walker's Wonderful Hair Grower was very successful and she needed many saleswomen to help her. She opened a college for her "hair culturists" and employed thousands of black women. In just 15 years she was a millionaire and the benefactor of black women all over the U.S. Sadly, Sarah only lived to be 52. Who knows what more she could have accomplished had she lived longer? In any case, Madame C. J. Walker is an inspiration to women, African-Americans, and young entrepreneurs everywhere.
ReplyDeletehttp://inventors.about.com/od/wstartinventors/a/MadameWalker.htm
Julia, Madame C. J. Walker sounds so neat! Her product must have worked really well. I wonder how it compares with hair growing formulas today? It makes me really glad though that she made a quality product instead of just hyping it up to make it seem better so she could sell it quicker. She sounds like an honest woman.
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ReplyDeleteGertrude B. Elion, graduate of Hunter college, was responsible for creating a drug to treat children with leukemia as well as a drug called azathioprine that aids in anti-rejection after organ transplant surgery. Sadly, she was rejected from 15 graduate programs because of the fact that she was a woman. She took a job as an unpaid lab assistant. In the year 1944, she got accepted to work at Burroughs Wellcome pharmaceuticals with nucleic acids where she invented a drug, 6-mercaplopurine, used in chemotherapy to aid kids with leukemia. For all of her hard work, she was awarded the Nobel Prize in medicine for the year of 1988. Additionally, Elion was known for her work with rheumatoid arthritis, herpes virus, and kidney disease. I chose to write about Gertrude B. Elion because I found it admirable that even after getting rejected from 15 graduate programs, she never gave up, and ended up contributing greatly to science. Here is an inspiring quote from Gertrude B. Elion: “Don't be afraid of hard work. Nothing worthwhile comes easily. Don't let others discourage you or tell you that you can't do it. In my day I was told women didn't go into chemistry. I saw no reason why we couldn't.”
http://www.eiu.edu/wism/about_biographies.php
Jessica, Elion seems like an inspiration to the women community. Constantly being rejected for work that is considerable enough to win a Nobel Prize is improbable. The work she has done is prodigious in the science field. To me, what she has done will forever aid in child leukemia.
DeleteWow thats amazing. Any research to a children's cancer is definitely something to be proud of. I am shocked that after her amazing drug invention that she was still rejected at first from all those graduate programs!
DeleteWow, this woman although probably not heard of by almost anyone, should be remembered for her amazing contributions for helping everyone with mkaing drugs to help cure certain diseases, espically cancer.
DeleteDedicated and unwavering, Malala Yousafazai is a very influential woman, and she was born in 1997. Born in Pakistan, she worked with her father to advocate human rights by blogging for BBC under the constant threat of the Taliban`s retaliation. However, when her father wanted to back down out of fear, she admonished him, saying "How can we do that? You were the one who said that if we believe in something greater than our lives, then our voices will only multiply ever if we are dead. We can't disown our campaign!' (I am Malala p.188). Her courage amazes me even more than it normally would because she is only one year older than me. In 2012, the Taliban voted to kill her because she was gaining to much support, and they stormed her school. She was shot in the head, yet miraculously survived. I think she lived for a reason. In 2013, she was the youngest person to ever be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize and she has won many other prestigious awards as well. In my lifetime, I have accomplished turning in a few good papers fo homework and making myself dinner once. If I had been in her place, I doubt I could`ve done what she did. For this I believe she is one of the most influential women-scratch that-teenagers-scratch that- people of this generation.
ReplyDeleteHere is my source: http://www.biographyonline.net/women/malala.html
So sorry but it won't let me reply so comment to Kelly Doer about Malala Yousafazai: That is so amazing! I had never heard her story! To be that brave that young is truly extraordinary and I definitely couldn't have done what she has done. That must have been so terrifying!
ReplyDeleteSince I don't know much influential women besides people like Amelia Earhart or Florence Nightingale I'm going to do my comment on women inequality. To prove it exists, I could probably list many influential men because people learn about them much more in schools and other places. Women have done and still do many great things for this world so why don't we hear more about them? When I looked up famous women there were many results. As I looked a little closer, many of them helped to progress science, invent new things, etc., but I hadn't heard of many of them. It seems to become famous you need to- a. Do something great and b. Be male. Although it's true many people know about the obvious famous women that I listed at the top of this (getting long) comment challenge yourself to make a list (or think) of 10-15 women and list their accomplishments. Although you'll probably be able to do it you could probably do it a lot easier if you were doing it about men. Luckily there are women stepping out past normal boundaries to expand women's rights. For example Capt. Linda Bray, who lived in 1989, seized a an "enemy objective" near Panama City. Her success ignited the debate over the roles of women in the military not just as military support, but as engaging in real combat. Although inequality still exists, it's slowly being broken down as the world realizes that women can do great things too.
ReplyDeleteI think it's very sad that we still discriminate against women today. Even back then it should have been unacceptable but they were seen as "lessers". And also I like how you pointed out how to become famous you must do something great and be a male. I agree because not many women who have done amazing things are recognized, and I find it really sad that we still don't talk about that many women or school or that many people don't know many influential women.
Deletehttp://www.biographyonline.net/women/helen-keller.html
ReplyDeleteHellen Keller is very inspiration not only did she over come something impossible by today's standards but back then when they knew even less about deaf and blind problems.
The bulk of the world’s knowledge is an imaginary construction she also said this because she everyone could imagine that they were smart but she could tell with out seeing or hearing.
Since we are talking about influential woman, I must bring up Mother Teresa. I picked because of the way that she lived her life for others. Although she did not do anything scientific, she helped improve the lives of many people in India and in other places around the world. After founding her own order of Sisters, The Sisters of Charity, she opened orphanages in Calcutta where children were given a chance to live. Eventually, she even opened the first aids hospital in New York City. When the issue comes to inequality, her fight was focused on equality of all humanity, born and unborn. As she said, “ Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty”.
ReplyDeleteJustin,
DeleteWhere is your source?
Talking about influential women, one comes to mind that I have learned a lot about, Helen Keller. She was blinded and deaf as a child from an illness, but she had overcome the struggle and went on helping others like her. I picked her because I liked how she taught people that even though bad things may happen, its not the end of the world, and you can still live a happy life. A quote that Helen had said was
Delete"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt within the heart".
http://www.helenkellerbirthplace.org/helenkellerbio/helen_keller_birthplace2_bio.htm
I agree that Mother Teresa was a great influence on society. She helped people start their lives healthy and happy and was a great women in society.
DeleteMother Theresa is awesome! I choose to talk about her too and she is truly one of the most influential women to ever live!
Deletehttp://www.vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/saints/ns_lit_doc_20031019_madre-teresa_en.html
DeleteOne unique woman I have looked up to for a while is Marie Curie. She was a pioneer in the field of radiation research. She was also the first women in history to win the Nobel Prize not only in two different categories, but all together. She had to leave the country just to get her PHD because at the time women only got their under grad titles. Marie had a daughter, Irene who she trained and eventually helped receive a Nobel Prize herself. Her main discoveries were the ability to isolate radioactive elements. They then discovered two new elements. A funny fact I came across was that when Marie was awarded her Nobel Prize, she refused to go in person to claim it because it would interfere with her research. She then became the first teaching professor. I also chose her because she was the one who established the radiation therapy for cancer. Having just finished the cancer unit, I thought that was yet another reason why Marie Curie was a perfect example for this blog. She then won another Nobel Prize, but soon after contracted leukemia due to her constant exposure to radiation, and died in 1934. A quote that I absolutely love by Marie Curie is, "Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less."
ReplyDeleteSorry, this is my source... http://www.biography.com/people/marie-curie-9263538
ReplyDeleteWe all remember Rosa Parks. She was the famous black woman in the 1950s who sat down on the colored part of the bus and was asked to move, refused, and was sent to jail. This civil rights activist, stood up for black race and helped the unsegregated society movement. She was very brave and stood up for her race and proved that women again, are just as good as men. Praise Rosa Parks for helping the civil rights movement, and in retrospect, going to jail was beneficial to the black race and to women around the world.
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_Parks
I was in fourth grade the year I discovered a miss Georgia Toto O’Keeffe; the most vivid and inspiring woman of whom I find myself in spiritual relation. Through her story and her artwork, I see O’Keeffe as the pinnacle of freedom and independence, which is exactly the kind of woman I see myself becoming. I loved the way she said, “I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way - things I had no words for.” In life, I’ve noticed how there are those in between moments where we can’t dissect things through categorized wording; there are things that we can’t explain on this earth, and that is where something deeper picks up. It’s the only thing that can fill the cracks and apply justice. Emotion. Passion. That depth that O’Keeffe so skillfully thrived off of. As artists, we allow ourselves to just let go and feel rather than living off of a set of rules. She showed this through her strong will and her I-could-care-less personality. One time she was commissioned by a large manufacturing business to paint a pineapple in Hawaii, however she was bored by the assignment and went off on her own to paint the much more enticing flowers of the island. She even became the lover of an already married photographer, however he left his wife afterwards married o’Keeffe instead. I found that to be quite unorthodox, but I still admire her drive to go with her heart and chase after what she desired. To this day I still draw lines of connections between us. I will always be wandering through her unforgotten footsteps.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/g/georgia_okeeffe.html
On the topic of influential women, one woman that comes to mind is Eleanor Roosevelt. When most people hear of her, the first thing that comes to mind is "Franklin Roosevelt's wife." However true, that is not the case. Eleanor is known for being a social justice warrior, fighting for racial equality, gender equality, human rights, and so much more. She was also an active member of many organizations and committees, never sitting still and actively trying to make the world a better place. She was also a part of the Human Rights Commission and worked on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Even after her husband left office and his death, Eleanor continued her political career, and in her late life became delegate for the United Nations. However, this is just a brief summary of her accomplishments: she has done so much more, all of which cannot be described without writing an entire research paper (which I have done before for Eleanor Roosevelt.) In conclusion, Mrs. Roosevelt has basically defined what it means to be First Lady, and has certainly set the bar high for every First Lady after her.
ReplyDeleteSource: http://www.gwu.edu/~erpapers/abouteleanor/erbiography.cfm
When I think of a female scientist the first name that comes to my mind is Marie Curie. We studied her last year, because of her work with physics. She received a nobel prize in physics in 1903. She was also married to scientist Pierre Curie. She was the first women to be the Professor of General Physics in the Faculty of Sciences. Marie Curie is credited with the discovery of radium and polonium, both elements of the periodic table. I picked Marie Curie because she influenced women in science. Now many women enter the science world because of Marie’s accomplishments and showing that women can hold their own when it comes to science.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1903/marie-curie-bio.html
The woman I chose was Molly Brown. She was one of the women that survived the tragic sinking of the Titanic. She took command of the lifeboat she was in and helped save other victims of the sinking. After the sinking she was called the "unsinkable Mrs. Brown". She inspires me to help other people at all times and to keep going no matter what the condition.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/molly-brown-avoids-sinking-with-the-titanic
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteEleanor Roosevelt is an amazing woman that, to me, seems under-appreciated. Eleanor Roosevelt was a well renound writer, activist and was also the wife of the 32nd president. She was an incredibly intelligent woman that redefined what it means to be a female member of society. She achieved these thing using her great intellect and influence in a way that was well befitting to her titles of First Lady of New York, and First Lady of United States. She offered to become Franklin’s administrative assistant, sorting his mail and acting as a listening post, as the Vice President John Garner’s wife had done. Franklin rejected the proposal, so instead, in an interview she gave on March 4, 1933 (Inauguration Day) she set an agenda all her own: she would focus on reducing the White House budget by 25%, simplify the social calendar, and be the president’s eyes and ears. Two days later, she held her own press conference—the first and only First Lady to do so—and announced she would have a "get together" with female reporters once a week. She greeted guests at the White House herself, refused Secret Service protection, and converted the Lincoln bedroom into her study. This is but a few of her many achievement but some of the ones a feel best show her character and integrity. Eleanor Roosevelt was my choice for her tenacity and 'dont give up' attitude. What I think is my favorite quote by her is "Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people."
ReplyDeletehttp://www.buzzle.com/articles/accomplishments-of-eleanor-roosevelt.html
Sam,
DeleteIt is fascinating to hear some of the accomplishments of our First Lady. Her quote does speak quite a truth! By doing what she believed in and deciding to take action, she did end up helping enormously for both her husband, and our country.
Born in Christine de Pizan was born 1364 in venice. She was basically the first women author to ever exist. Though her books she advocated that women were just as smart as men. She wrote about how women should look for jobs themselves without the help of men. This was a huge radical movement at the time and women that talked like that would possibly be killed. She not only made a good step towards women's equality but she also didn't just watch time go by and decided to make a change in society.
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christine_de_Pizan
I decided to choose Cleopatra as my influential women. I picked her mostly because she was on the list of influential women I googled but also because she was one of the first women rulers.It was in an age where women basically did nothing, she ruled all of Egypt. That was a huge achievement in those days and it definitely showed that women were not worthless. I Believe one day the united states will have a women president.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.biographyonline.net/women/cleopatra.html
Wangari Maathai was a very intelligent, interesting and influential woman. Wangari grew up in the small village, Ithathe in Kenya, where she excelled as student even though the Mau Mau uprising had occurred only a year before she was born, making her very lucky to have had an education. She went on to receive many degrees and was the first woman in her region to receive a doctorate degree. She became the chair of the department of veterinary anatomy and associate professor, being, again, the first woman to obtain those positions. During this time, many of the rural parts of Kenya were being cleared and replaced by commercial plantations, increasing drought and poverty. Wangari Maathai was very aware of this, and in 1977, she founded the Green Belt Movement, which encouraged people to protect their community, and to work together to restore their environment. In 2004, she won a Nobel Peace prize for her dedicated wildlife and humanitarian work. On top of all of this, she is also the author of 4 books. I have personal connection to her, since my Great grandfather worked with her for several years on the United Nations Environment Programme. He was one of many around the world who were impressed with her work.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/sep/26/wangari-maathai
I picked Ann Meyers because she was an amazing basketball player but on top of that she did something no other woman had done before: she tried out for the NBA. While Ann didn't make the roster for the Indiana Pacers she set a milestone for women. Even though Ann did not make the NBA she didn't give up and went on to play in the WBL. But before being asked to try out for the pacers Ann set several milestones: As a senior in high school she was the first player to be added on the U.S Olympic team and one silver with her team. Later she went to UCLA and was the first woman to receive a full scholarship and was the first person (including men) in the schools history to achieve a quadruple. a quadruple is 20 points, 14 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 steals. After college she went to try out for the NBA and then later played on the WBL where she was the first draft pick. In the WBL she only played one season but she received MVP. Her final achievement was being added into the basketball Hall of Fame in 1993 making her the first woman to accomplish this. My favorite quote by her is “In the past, girls didn't grow up playing basketball. Now they can.” I connect to that quote because you don't hear about many famous women basketball players and I hadn't known about Ann before. But now it seems like basketball for women is getting more and more popular for women and she defiantly led the way in that.
ReplyDeleteMy source: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/siforwomen/top_100/24/
One of the most influential women was Florence Nightingale. When she was born her parents wanted her to become a wife and live in the upper class for women. She didn't want that. She wanted to train to be a nurse, her parents said no but finally gave in. During the Crimean war which was the Russians vs the British, Ottoman, French and Italian countries Florence Nightingale was a nurse for her homeland of Italy. She saw all the carnage and conditions in which the soldiers were living in when they were injured. She basically said hey, these soldiers living conditions are horrible and that's the reason why everyone is dying from infection. She got the hospital to change to clean sheets, sterilizing instruments and people washing their hands before and after a surgery. When she stepped up no one from her hospital ever died from then on. I think if she wouldn't have said this it would have taken people longer to realize or perhaps still not realize that we need sterile environments for the sick and wounded so wounds don't get infected and their condition doesn't get worse. I chose Florence Nightingale mostly because of that is one of the wars we are dealing with right now in 19th and 20th world history. We talked a little about her and I'm very happy that she decided to stand up not caring if she was a woman or not and help people.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/nightingale_florence.shtml
*Notes from 19th and 20th world history class* Mr. Smalley
Where would we be today without doctoring? It's incredible the amount of lives saved. Elizabeth Blackwell was the first female doctor. She inspires me because one day I hope to be a doctor. Born in England Ferbruary3rd, 1821, she watched eight of her siblings and eight of her cousins die while growing up. No, they weren't murdered. They suffered from disease. As a result, Blackwell went to college to get her degree. Also, while studying in Paris, she obtained an eye infection that cost her the sight in her left eye. It was the pressure of a dying friend that in addition, pushed Blackwell so hard to her goal. Blackwell was desperate and willing to do whatever it took to become a doctor to reverse pain and restore health, rather than uselessly watching others die. Doctors save so many lives; it's insane. I'm all about helping people and I hope to be like Blackwell one day. One of her famous quotes states "I must have something to engross my thoughts, some object in life which will fill this vacuum, and prevent this sad wearing away of the heart." Life is really sad if you aren't doing something that matters. Take advantage and live.
ReplyDeleteResearch- http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/ushistory/elizabethblackwell.htm
Quote- http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/e/elizabeth_blackwell.html
"Failure is impossible", is a great quote by Susan B. Anthony. Once I started researching influential women, she stood right out to me. Susan B. Anthony was born in 1820 in Massachusetts. Later in life, she moved to New York and became a teacher. This is where she discovered her passion of women rights. While teaching, she discovered that the male teachers were receiving a salary twice as big as her, just because she was a women. Since this discovery, she dedicated all her time into the woman's civil rights movement. She also tried to convince woman to sign her ballot so women would have more of a say. I picked her because she was a teacher. When I am older I plan on being a teacher as well. I admire how she stuck up for what she believed in and fought for her right as a woman. Without Susan's hard work and drive to get these freedoms for women, the women of this society would not be who they are today.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.greatwomen.org/women-of-the-hall/search-the-hall/details/2/13-Anthony
In 2010, on average, a woman would make 77 cents to every dollar that a man made.
ReplyDeleteTypically I am against feminism and all for equalism because far too many feminists are actually female supremists and elitists but this is absurd, because this isn't even close to equal. I can't see how we live in a nation built upon diversity and somehow we still are paying HALF OUR POPULATION less than the other half merely because of how they were born. I can not stand how this type of inequality is acceptable in our country, the 'land of the free' (don't even get me started on gay rights).
http://www.summer.harvard.edu/blog-news-events/gender-inequality-women-workplace
In response to Isabelle Y. (it wouldn't let me comment directly) I think that 1800's in MA is exactly where I think of women being sent into the house to do their work, they were just starting to be allowed to be teachers, and this woman Ms. Anthony is deciding that she wants to be more than that. I think that's really cool for her to work towards equality.
A senior scientist, Susan Solomon. In 1986 she went to Antarctica leading an expedition. I think that is amazing that she wanted to lead an expedition, especially in Antarctica! Just wanting a little adventure in her life, along with trying to unlock the key to the loss of the ozone layer. With all of her research on the ozone layer, she came to the conclusion that the loss of the ozone layer may be greatly affected by man made chemicals. Now Solomon is recognized as the leader in the atmospheric science. She explains the causes of the ozone hole. Back when she went to Antarctica she says she was being young and foolish and traveling there sounded like a great adventure. Maybe we all need a little adventure in our lives to find out something great, maybe not as interesting as an ozone hole but maybe something great to us. What if she hadn't taken an adventure, how long would it take someone else to figure this out?
ReplyDeleteSources: 1) http://discovermagazine.com/2002/nov/feat50#.UyL56EtX_Ww
2)http://eaps-www.mit.edu/paoc/people/susan-solomon/bio
Julia Fuhler: Georgia O'Keeffe sounds like a very inspirational person. I think its very important to look up to someone that connects with you, and with you being an artist you must have a strong connection. It is an important part of life to find passion, love, Exc, and to be inspired to do so.
ReplyDeleteFor Women Appreciation week, I chose Amelia Earhart. To me, She is an inspiration because she is a women who stood up for what she loved, and wasn't afraid to do something unheard of before. Amelia was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic ocean. She strongly supported the equal rights Amendment. She wanted to show anyone can do anything, if you put your mind to it. Even though, she had a tragic death, she is an inspiration to women everywhere to not only believe in your dreams, but go out and make it come true.
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amelia_Earhart
a very influential women in science is Gertrude Elion. “Don’t be afraid of hard work. Nothing worthwhile comes easily. Don’t let others discourage you or tell you that you can’t do it. In my day I was told women didn’t go into chemistry. I saw no reason why we couldn’t.” – Gertrude B. Elion. Gertrude did a lot of things for science. She is most famous for her discover of drugs to treat leukemia and herpes. Also she won a Nobel prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1988. After she received her award she decided to share it with George H. Hitchings, her long-time boss, and with Sir James W. Black.
ReplyDeleteJustin,
DeleteWhere is your source?
Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani schoolgirl who defied threats of the Taliban to campaign for the right to education. In her book "I Am Malala", she talks about her fight and how she wouldn't be silenced. She was shot in the head while riding the bus, and few thought she would recover. Instead she made a miraculous recovery and shared her story and making her the youngest nominee for the noble peace prize at only 16! Malala is a symbol of peace and a role model to many girls around the world. " We cannot succeed when half of us are held back" Malala is a voice of education and equality.
ReplyDeleteErin,
DeleteWhere is your source?
Of the billions of women who have set foot on this planet, I find Joan of Ark to be my most influential woman ( being the history geek that I am). During the 100 year war fought between A divided France, and England she arose to lead the French to victory in a influential battle. She was a very superstitious women, and claimed that she had a direct line of communication with the saints. Whether you choose to believe this or not, is not important. She approached Charles VII who was the then crown king of France, and asked for permission to lead his armies into battle. She was declined and sent home. She kept persistent and returned many times asking of the king. Eventually he agreed because the tide of war was turning toward the English and he was in need of a miracle. So, into battle marched a 17 year old girl with thousands of French soldiers. Against insurmountable odds, her forces repelled the English from Orleans and helped turn the tide for the French. Following her escapades however her habit of wearing male clothing was labeled by the church as a form of heresy. She was tried for the crime by the Church and after about a year of struggle between the two sides she was tricked into signing a form that labeled herself as a heretic. She was told that she had to sign the document to delay her immediate execution which was the exact act for which she was in fact signing for. For the time the punishment for Heresy was to be burnt to death at the stake, and so she did. She is a true female hero, because she stood up for her beliefs no matter what she was told she could and could not do, and did what no woman had ever, or likely will never do again. This is a brief summary, if you would like to know more please read the link below.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.biography.com/people/joan-of-arc-9354756?page=1
Although there are a lot of women who go unacknowledged, I feel that we are slowly getting better at leveling out women and men and soon both will be equally appreciated. One woman that I think everyone would agree who was influential in the world is Mother Teresa. She devoted her life to helping those in need and those who are less fortunate. She became a nun at just 18 years old and after that she spent every moment helping and looking after those who nobody else would. Mother Teresa's work was acknowledged as she was awarded a Nobel peace prize for her work against the the struggle to overcome poverty and distress. She once said “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” which is a very true and meaningful statement that makes me wonder about what I can do to help others even if its just a small action.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.biographyonline.net/nobelprize/mother_teresa.html
Reply to Mackenzie Harden: (it wouldn't let me reply directly)
ReplyDeletealthough I've never herd of Susan Solomon, she sounds like an amazing person! not only was she brave enough to lead an expedition in the Antarctica but she was also intelligent, and caring about the earth. Its inspiring to hear that people are willing to risk their lives just to help the rest of us understand the earth we live on!
However "unscientific" it may be, I think an inspirational woman in today's society is Ellen DeGeneres. She is such a chill person on her talk show she has, communicating and interviewing celebrities. Personally, I respect her because she is a genuine, funny person that happens to be widely admired and famous. Another awesome inspiration Ellen gives is being respectable to just about anybody you ask- even though she’s gay. So she’s super respected, and gay; so if you don’t support gays, then you pretty much don’t like Ellen..and who doesn’t like Ellen? If she would represent gays overall, that would be an awesome feeling to know Ellen is what people think of when they think of gays. This lady has also worked with Covergirl, the makeup company. Just ‘cause you’re not a girly girl, doesn’t mean you can’t wear makeup and be pretty! Basically, Ellen’s just really out-there, and since she’s funny and genuine, people appreciate her contribution to evolving society with her unique personality.
ReplyDelete“The world is full of a lot of fear and a lot of negativity, and a lot of judgment. I just think people need to start shifting into joy and happiness. As corny as it sounds, we need to make a shift.”
Ellen DeGeneres
http://hollywoodlife.com/celeb/ellen-degeneres/
Very good choice! Ellen is also an advocate for many charities. Her most prominent feature that I've seen is he caring way of life! She's definitely one known to be a good-doer.
DeleteOf all the wonderful women in the world today, my favorite would have to be Kathy Giusti. Having done previous reports on her, I've greatly looked into her attributes and good-doings. Kathy Giusti is the founder and CEO of the multiple mylenoma foundation and consortium. Her research and studies became base for cooperations between melanoma and mylenoma organizations. Her reason for starting the consortium? She was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma at a meeting with her doctor due to her lack of being able to conceive a child. When she received her malignant cancer diagnosis, she immediately began research on the illness. To much surprise, little information existed on Myeloma. She then went forth with her studies and thus the foundation was born! She has saved thousands upon thousands of lives and has rightfully earned her space in my heart and the history books.
ReplyDeletehttp://parade.condenast.com/37077/francarpentier/25-kathy-giusti-misson-to-cure-multiple-myeloma/
For International Women's Day, I have to decideede to pick Ellen DeGeneres. Ellen is a host of her own talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and she was the first openly gay actor to portray a gay character on a leading primetime television show. She has hosted countless events such as the Primetime Emmy Awards, the 79th Annual Academy Awards, and even the Oscars! In addition to being a talk show host, she is also a best-selling author who has not only published books, yet has also brought attention to the issues of bullying, animals, and cancer with the aid of her show. I chose Ellen because she is a perfect example of someone who shwos compassion and love towards her fans as well as her community. Over time, she has presented the PSA "Be Kind," brought attention to the organization Gentle Barn, and has been a spokesperson for the awareness initiative, Pink for the Cure. Hearing about all off the noble women from history's past is fascinating, yet at the same time it seems as if we do not focus as much on today's modern role models. It brings me great happiness to see Ellen's generousity and activity in today's society. Starting in 1997, she has most certainly come a long way, and as said by none other than Ellen herself, "Here are the values that I stand for: honesty, equality, kindness, compassion, treating people the way you want to be treated and helping those in need. To me, those are traditional values."
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ellentv.com/page/2009/08/17/about-ellen-degeneres/
http://lgbthistorymonth.com/ellen-degeneres?tab=biography
http://brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/e/ellen_degeneres.html
The influential women that I choose was Mother Theresa. She was a Catholic nun and she completely dedicated her life following God and serving the poor. She went on many missions around the world and spent a good amount of time in India doing lots of charity for people that were in poverty. She also after a long time felt a major separation from God but nobody would of guessed it. She never would show the sadness in her heart and still was one of the most joyful people in the world and still followed the faith and served the poor no matter what the circumstance was.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/saints/ns_lit_doc_20031019_madre-teresa_en.html
I choose 'The Iron Lady", aka. Margaret Thatcher, as my influential woman in history. Maragaret has little to do with science, but she healed Britain from being the weak point of Europe that was ungovernable due to union barons and changed it for the better leading it to become a go ahead society. She modernized the country's business practices and eased the housing market so housing prices for living were not so costly. She gave renter's the right to buy their houses at reduced cost which gave them a chance to sell the property at a profit and move to a better location. Ms. Thatcher is considered the best prime minister of Britain. She cut government spending, government regulation of business, she privatized state-owned industries, gave tenants in council housing the right to buy their homes, abolished the GLC and metropolitan councils, and introduced a national curriculum in the schools. She formed troops to fight during the Falklands War (and won). She opposed sanctions against South Africa, a federal Europe and Britain joining the Euro. Overall Margaret Thatcher, the first female prime minister of Britain, I believe is a important female character in the history of the world, standing up for all of the people in her country (similar to a mother-like figure).
ReplyDeleteFun facts:
She was educated at Oxford University.
She was a mother of two children at the time of being Britain's prime minister, and was married.
http://www.biography.com/people/margaret-thatcher-9504796
I chose J.K. Rowling as my favorite influential women because I am a huge fan of Harry Potter. First off, she chose to go by her initials instead of going by her full name, Joanne. She did this to avoid gender-influenced sales and to keep young males interested in her books as well. She thought that they wouldn’t read her books if it was by a female writer. This is a great example of inequality. She shouldn’t have had to worry about that when she started writing, but unfortunately, gender-inequality is still a struggle. J.K. Rowling impacted writing by keeping people interested in books. With technology reaching new heights, physical paper books may not be printed as much anymore because of things like e-books. J.K. Rowling kept writing exciting and made people anxiously waiting until the next book would come out. Through researching, I have found that many people said that Harry Potter was a way for them to escape from the world. She created a fantasy world that many people enjoy. Over the years she has donated her riches to charities. She wrote a few short books and made only a few copies which were auctioned off. The money went to Comic relief. She is the president of the charity, Gingerbread, as well. Recently, she lost her billionaire status because of how much money she has donated. According to some sources, she has donated about $160 million over the years.
ReplyDeleteHere is one of my sources:
http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/article/parent-child/jk-rowlings-magical-impact
The influential woman I chose is Lady Gaga. Although she doesn't seem like she can be taken seriously, she has very insightful opinions on many different things. Lady Gaga believes in being yourself and begins who you want to be. It doesn't matter if you're gay, straight, black, white, atheist or Christian. As long as you are happy in what you do and who you are, nothing else matters. Lady Gaga is truly influential to not only young girls but young boys as anybody who is struggling or is "different" can take something away from her.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.fuse.tv/2013/04/lady-gaga-time-magazine-second-most-influential-icon
The extremely influential Rosalind Franklin is who I picked. Franklin was absolutely vital to the modern theories of DNA. She was the first person to actually observed DNA’s structure using X- ray diffraction. She was one of the most important people in the study of DNA, but gets very little credit. I believe she is just as important as her male counterparts such as Watson and Crick. She was devoted to sciences as she put it “ In my view, all that is necessary for faith is the belief that by doing our best we shall succeed in our aims: the improvement of mankind.“ Rosalind Franklin is one of the best women role models in science to date.
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosalind_Franklin
http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/232917.Rosalind_Franklin
Harry Potter. Who hasn’t heard of it? Because of these books, J. K Rowling is now a household name. And because of her, she brought the magic back into books and inspired many young children to read and write. For International Women’s day, I choose J. K Rowling. She’s more than just an author now; she is a multi-millionaire, and more importantly a role model. She is one of the greatest examples of the “rags to riches” story we know so well today. Harry Potter was not a success overnight. She got turned down 12 times before a publisher said yes to publish her. As she says here, “It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all, in which case you have failed by default.” Through her stories, she has inspired the child inside of everyone. And that is a talent we are sorely missing in society today.
ReplyDelete