This section began as a celebration of March and Women’s History Month; it continues as a regular feature because there are so many unrecognized women who have made major contributions to history.
As a Mississippi resident, Fannie Lou Hamer was not informed that Black people had the right to vote in the United States until she was almost 42 years old (1960). […]
Voting Rights Advocate Fannie Lou Hamer Read More »
Rose Knox started the Knox Gelatine Company with her husband, Charles, in Johnstown, New York, in 1890. (Gelatine was the preferred spelling at that time.) When Charles died unexpectedly in
Rose Knox: Businesswoman Ahead of Her Time Read More »
Dorothy Dandridge (1922-1965) could sing and dance with the best of them. Though her marriage to Harold Nicholas was brief, she could more than hold her own on stage with
Dorothy Dandridge, First Black Nominated for Best Actress Oscar Read More »
We often read stories of families traveling west by wagon train. However, recently I was introduced to a reminiscence of a woman’s childhood journey to California from Ohio via the Isthmus of Panama. The family opted for the route that took the least time, traveling from Ohio to New York by train, taking a ship to the Isthmus of Panama, and then traveling by rail and mule across the Isthmus. They then boarded another ship that took the family to San Francisco.
Traveling West in 1854: The Story of an 11-Year-Old Girl and Her Family Read More »
Fire escapes and fire stairwells remain a vital component of multi-story buildings. Even with all the advances in building materials, catastrophic fires can and do happen. And of course, in
The Invention of the Fire Escape Read More »
The first giant panda brought to the United States was introduced by Ruth Harkness in 1937. Harkness wasn’t driven by a passion for pandas or an enthusiasm for exploration. Harkness
First Giant Panda Brought to U.S. by Ruth Harkness Read More »
