Fantastic Women

Here we talk about all the fantastic women in science and history who did exceptional work but many of whom were ignored.

mary shelly frankenstein
Black and white image of Maria Mitchell with text saying: Maria Mitchell, was born on August 1, 1818, in Nantucket, Massachusetts, U.S. She was the first professional woman astronomer in the United States. In addition to other accomplishments, Mitchell pioneered ithe daily photography of sunspots & was the first to find that they were whirling vertical cavities rather than clouds, as had been earlier believed. In October 1847 Mitchell succeeded in establishing the orbit of a new comet, which became known as “Miss Mitchell’s Comet.” She died on June 28 , 1889.
Eunice Newton Foote's paper on CO2

Fantastic Women Series: Happy Birthday Eunice Newton Foote

Eunice Newton Foote - She was the first one to observe the effect of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in 1856. We know this now as the Greenhouse Effect, the cause of our current global warming.

Eunice Newton Foote's paper on CO2 and Global Warming

Podcast Episode 39 l Eunice Newton Foote l Fantastic Women Series l Born This Day

Eunice Newton Foote - The Woman Scientist Who Predicted Global Warming in 1856. She was a campaigner for women's rights. But she has been forgotten.

Black and white image of Helen Keller holding a Magnolia on the left. On the right is the text saying: Helen Adams Keller was born this day June 27, 1880 . She was an American author, disability rights advocate, political activist and lecturer. Born in West Tuscumbia, Alabama, she lost her sight and her hearing after a bout of illness when she was 19 months old. She then communicated primarily using home signs until the age of seven, when she met her first teacher and life-long companion Anne Sullivan. Sullivan taught Keller language, including reading and writing. After an education at both specialist and mainstream schools, Keller attended Radcliffe College of Harvard University and became the first deafblind person in the United States to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. She died on June 1, 1968 By 360onhistory.com

Helen Keller

This historic image is Photo 51, which revealed that DNA indeed has a double helix shape!
Black and white: Florence Nightingale, c. 1870. Perry Pictures/Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (LC-USZ62-5877), with text saying: Florence Nightingale, byname Lady with the Lamp, was born this day, May 12, 1820, in Florence, [Italy], and died on August 13, 1910, London, England. She was a British nurse, statistician, and social reformer who was the foundational philosopher of modern nursing. Nightingale was put in charge of nursing British and allied soldiers in Turkey during the Crimean War. She spent many hours in the wards, and her night rounds giving personal care to the wounded established her image as the “Lady with the Lamp.” Her efforts to formalize nursing education led her to establish the first scientifically based nursing school—the Nightingale School of Nursing, at St. Thomas’ Hospital in London (opened 1860). She also was instrumental in setting up training for midwives and nurses in workhouse infirmaries. She was the first woman awarded the Order of Merit in 1907. International Nurses Day, observed annually on May 12, commemorates her birth and celebrates the important role of nurses in health care.
Black and white image of Kitty Linn O'Neil wearing car racing clothes and holding a helmet. She was born March 24, 1946, was an American stuntwoman and racer, given the title as "the fastest woman in the world". An illness in early childhood left her deaf, and more illnesses in early adulthood cut short a career in competitive diving. O'Neil's subsequent career as a stuntwoman and race driver led to her depiction in a television movie and as an action figure. Her women's absolute land speed record stood until 2019. She died on November 2, 2018.
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