Prior to the development of the test-in which nurses or other delivery room staff assess a baby’s skin color, heart rate, reflexes, muscle tone, and breathing-babies weren’t typically given much attention after birth, which could lead to problems being missed until it was too late. In 1952, she presented a five-step system for assessing the condition of newborn babies within a minute of birth and periodically after that. Virginia Apgar’s career was full of firsts: In 1937, she became the first female board-certified anesthesiologist and the first woman to achieve the rank of professor at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, where she was the first professor of anesthesiology. Virginia Apgar / March of Dimes/Library of Congress via Wikimedia // Public Domain In one of her most defiant acts, she was arrested simply for casting a ballot in the 1872 presidential election and given a fine of $100-which she refused to pay. Though their opposition to the 15th Amendment-which gave suffrage to men of all races (in theory), but not women-caused a split in the women’s movement, Anthony continued to muster support and lobby Congress for suffrage. She and Stanton also edited the organization’s newspaper to further disseminate feminist ideas. With fellow suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Anthony founded the American Equal Rights Association in 1866 and traveled the country advocating for voting rights. Born in Massachusetts in 1820, Anthony was a lifelong activist on behalf of women’s rights. The year 2019 year marked the 100th anniversary of (many) women gaining the right to vote in the United States-and 2020 marked the 200th birthday of one of the women who made it possible: Susan B. Anthony / Scewing, Wikimedia Commons // Public domain More than a thousand years later, al-Fihri’s legacy lives on through academic awards and scholarships in her name. The university reportedly attracted students from all over the world, and is still operating today. Those institutions eventually grew into the University of al-Qarawiyyin, established in 859 CE in the city of Fez. With her inheritance, al-Fihri built a mosque and education center for her community. Instead, she established the world’s first university. In the early 9th century, in what is now Morocco, Fatima al-Fihri could have lived the rest of her life as a wealthy heiress when she inherited a fortune after her father died. From singers to scientists and athletes to activists, here are 130 women who have changed the world. While gender parity continues to be an ongoing problem (yes, even in 2023), the world is fortunately full of examples of brave women who have stood up to the most daunting challenges to make their voices heard and accept full recognition for their achievements. Take, for example, the work of Rosalind Franklin: The British scientist whose 1952 research was integral to the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA, but who had her research swiped by male colleagues who announced their "discovery" to the world-and won a Nobel Prize for it-without giving Franklin any of the credit. History is not always what is seems-regardless of what even the most robust textbooks might say.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |