firstbook:

A boy reads a book on the roof of his home during sunrise in Port-au-Prince on March 17, 2011.  Only 49 percent of Haitian adults are literate. 

(Photo: REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton)

 

awesomestuffwomendid:

The youngest woman ever to have been elected to British Parliament having been elected at the age of 21, she stood on the slogan “I will take my seat and fight for your rights” – signalling her rejection of the traditional Irish republican tactic of abstentionism (being absent from Westminster). Publicised discrimination against Catholics in Northern Ireland. Convicted of incitement to riot in December 1969 after the ‘Battle of the Bogside’, and was re-elected in the 1970 general election. After witnessing the events of Bloody Sunday, punched Reginald Maudling, the Secretary of State for the Home Department in the Conservative government, when he made a statement to Parliament on Bloody Sunday stating that the British Army had fired only in self-defence. Helped to form the Irish Republican Socialist Party, a revolutionary socialist breakaway from Official Sinn Féin. Survived an assassination attempt by the “Ulster Freedom Fighters”. (Bernadette Devlin)

awesomestuffwomendid:

Led the People Power Revolution of the Philippines, calling for massive civil disobedience protests (including four days of the military-civilian rebellion where millions crammed the streets to protect reformist soldiers who had mutinied against Marcos and nuns armed only with rosaries knelt in front of tanks, stopping them in their tracks) eventually leading to the ousting of Ferdinand Marcos and her declaration as President.  Oversaw the promulgation of a new constitution, which limited the powers of the presidency and established a bicameral legislature.  Gave strong emphasis and concern for civil liberties and human rights, and peace talks with communist insurgents and Muslim secessionists. Her economic policies centered on bringing back economic health and confidence and focused on creating a market-oriented and socially-responsible economy.  Survived several coup attempts, and even after her presidency served as a unifying force during troubled times.  (Corazon Aquino)

awesomestuffwomendid:

A national folk hero of Afghanistan who rallied the Pashtun army against the British troops at the 1880 Battle of Maiwand. Like many Afghan women, she was there to help tend to the wounded and provide water and spare weapons. According to local sources, this was also supposed to be her wedding day.  When the Afghan army was losing morale, despite their superior numbers, She took off her veil and shouted:

“Young love! If you do not fall in the battle of Maiwand,

By God, someone is saving you as a symbol of shame!”

This inspired the Afghan fighters to redouble their efforts. When a leading flag-bearer was killed, she went forward and held up the flag (some versions say she used her veil as a flag), singing a landai:

“With a drop of my sweetheart’s blood,

Shed in defense of the Motherland,

Will I put a beauty spot on my forehead,

Such as would put to shame the rose in the garden!”

She was then struck down and killed. However, her words had spurred on her countrymen to victory. (Malalai Ana)

awesomestuffwomendid:

Developed innovative yet highly controversial treatments for polio, involving prolonged applications of moist hot packs to help ease muscles, relieve pain and allow limbs to be stretched and gently exercised, at odds with the orthodox treatment of immobilisation through the use of plaster casts and splints. Vilified by the medical establishment, became a hugely popular public figure, once voted the ‘Most admirable woman in the United States’. Seen as beacons of hope by parents desperate for their stricken children and dissatisfied by existing treatments, a series of treatment centres opened across the United States throughout the 1940s. Her methods retain a place in rehabilitative medicine to this day. (Sister Elizabeth Kenny)

awesomestuffwomendid:

Graduated from the University of Southern California with a B.S. in Astronomy in 1974 and did graduate work in Computer Science at USC. Before receiving her Astronomy degree, she joined Jet Propulsion Laboratory for temporary summer employment, and accepted a position after receiving her degree in the Outer Planet Satellite Ephemeris Development Group at Jet Propulsion Laboratory as a senior engineer (1974–1981). In March 1979, she discovered the anomalous “crescent” off the limb of Jupiter’s moon Io in a picture of Io taken by Voyager 1 for navigation, after the Voyager 1 close encounter with Jupiter. She proposed a series of hypotheses and conducted investigations to prove or disprove them, to identify the “crescent”. She was able to deduce that the observation was a plume erupting from the surface of Io, and volcanic in origin. Her discovery was announced to the world on March 12, 1979.  This was the first non-Earth volcanic eruption ever witnessed and the first proof that other bodies in our solar system are geologically active.  Her discovery of active geology on other worlds is heralded as one of the most important discoveries of the planetary exploration program. (Linda A. Morabito)

awesomestuffwomendid:

Organized 20,000 of New York City’s 32,000 shirtwaist trade workers, leading them in a three-month strike which ended in union contracts at all shops— except at Triangle Shirtwaist.  The following year, 150 Triangle Shirtwaist workers died in a fire due to the unsafe conditions, which were part of the general strike’s complaints.  Founded a working-class women’s suffrage organization.  Founded a working class housewives’ union to advocate for housing, education, and consumer issues.  While living in a retirement home, convinced the workers there to organize.(Clara Lemlich)

rosietint:

In History: Sophie Germain

Germain, born April 1, 1776, was a mathematician who often worked under a pseudonym because she was concerned her work wouldn’t be taken seriously if people knew she was a woman. One of the pioneers of elasticity theory, she won the grand prize from the Paris Academy of Sciences for her essay on the subject. Her work on Fermat’s Last Theorem provided a foundation for mathematicians exploring the subject for hundreds of years after.