Dedicating her life to social reform, and as the first female Cabinet member, Frances Perkins was a revolutionary. Born in Boston, raised in Worcester, and educated at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts, Perkins spent her formative years in New England. Perkins pursued physics and...

Hedy Lamarr was a world-famous actress, considered the most beautiful woman in the world. She was also an immigrant, a passionate supporter of the war against the Nazis, a sexual and cultural progressive, and the inventor of the technology at the basis of Bluetooth, WiFi, and cellular communications. On...

When you google “the first woman to run the Boston Marathon,” the name Kathrine Switzer pops up. Across the Internet, Switzer is remembered for the iconic video of her being attacked by marathon officials, and for the changes that were enacted following the altercation. But Switzer was not the first...

In 1967 Francis Crick, Maurice Wilkins, and James Watson were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine. Many believe, if not for her death from ovarian cancer in 1963, Rosalind Franklin would have shared in that honor.  Rosalind Franklin was born in July 1920 to Muriel and Elis Franklin,...

Mary White Ovington, a privileged, white woman, committed her life to improving the lives of African Americans.  Her dedication led to the establishment of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), an organization committed to erasing prejudice in public services, countering...

Carrie Chapman Catt, through her political lobbying, helped acquire the enfranchisement of American women. On January 9, 1859, in Ripon, Wisconsin, Carrie Chapman Catt was born. In 1866, the family moved to Charles City, Iowa, and when Catt was 18 she registered at Iowa State College or Ames. The science-focused...

During a time when women continued to endeavor to hold control over their positions in society, Margaret Sanger changed the world through her advocation for women’s rights to control their bodies. Sanger was born on September 14, 1879, in Corning, NY, to Michael and Anne Higgins. The sixth of eleven...

Alice Paul is the mother of the suffrage movement in America; she devoted her life to achieving equality for all genders. From a young age, Paul was taught that both sexes were equal. As she grew up, her mother exposed her to the concept of women's suffrage and took her to suffrage meetings in her...

Clare Boothe Luce was a multi-talented woman, whose influence spread through journalism, politics, and playwriting. The language skills she displayed throughout her life enabled her to make her mark on feminism. On March 10, 1903, Clare Boothe Luce was born to Ann Clare Snyder Boothe, a former chorus...

Madam C.J. Walker was an influential woman who utilized hair to inspire confidence in the women of her time and today. In 1867, Sarah Breedlove was born to former slaves Minerva and Owen Breedlove. By the age of seven, both of Sarah’s parents had died, forcing her to move in with her sister and...

Betty Friedan was different from many of her fellow feminists in a way that was alienating. Similar to other activists such as contemporary, journalist Gloria Steinem, Friedan believed that tradition and female complacency were the culprits for society's view of women as inferior to men.  However,...

Woman of the Month is a column dedicated to educating people about influential women of the past. Every month, I will highlight a specific woman and discuss how she has influenced our world. For September, we will be exploring how Augusta Ada Byron, known by many in the mathematics community as Ada...