Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was born #OTD in 1986 & is regarded as one of the greatest sprinters of all time. History's most-decorated Olympic 100m sprinter🥇 🥇 🥈 🥉, 5-time 100m World #Champion & one of the most enduring track athletes in history w/consistent sub-11-second 100m times into her late 30s.

#Documentary: 𝘛𝘰𝘱 𝘚𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵 𝘙𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘦𝘴: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘦 "𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴" 𝘰𝘧 𝘞𝘞𝘐𝘐 (2010) recognizes the contributions of American women serving as human computers during #WWII, 6 of them went on to program one of the earliest computers, the ENIAC. 1 of those 6 is Jean Jennings Bartik, born #OTD in 1924. #WomenInSTEM

Carrie Fisher was an accomplished & witty writer. Her bestselling semi-autobiographical novel, 𝘗𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘥𝘨𝘦 (1987), satirized her struggles with addiction & her complex relationship with her mother. She adapted the novel into the screenplay for the 1990 film of the same name.

Actress & writer Carrie Fisher died #OTD in 2016. She is best known for her iconic role as Princess Leia in the #StarWars franchise. She also earned acclaim for her writing & was a prominent mental health advocate who used her fame, humor & writing to help destigmatize bipolar disorder & addiction.

Which female athlete has won the most Olympic medals? Russian gymnast Larisa Latynina, born #OTD in 1934, with 18. She holds the record for the most #Olympic gold medals by a female gymnast with 9 & is credited with helping to establish the Soviet Union as a dominant force in gymnastics. #champion

Scottish mathematician, astronomer & polymath Mary Somerville was born #OTD in 1780. #WomenInSTEM William Whewell coined the term "scientist" in a review of Somerville's book, 𝘖𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘩𝘺𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘚𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴. Used as gender-neutral term as the common term at the time was "man of science."

Susan Butcher was the first person to win 3 consecutive #Iditarod races & first to win 4 times in 5 races (1986-1988, 1990). #Alaska honored her with Susan Butcher Day, the first Saturday in March coinciding with the traditional start of the Iditarod. She was born #OTD in 1954.

Artist & cartoonist Jackie Ormes died #OTD in 1985. She was the first Black woman to work as a professional newspaper #cartoonist & become well-known for series that included "Torchy Brown in Dixie to Harlem." daily.jstor.org/the-groundbr...#OTD#cartoonist#art #comics #cartoons

Remembering the ~230,000 souls in 14 countries who lost their lives in the tsunami triggered by the Sumatra–Andaman earthquake in the Indian Ocean #OTD in 2004. Never forgetting the survivors whose families, homes, communities & countries were devastated by this disaster.🕯️

Marie Curie (w/husband Pierre) discovered radium #OTD in 1898. It revolutionized #science & launched radioactivity, nuclear physics & cancer therapy. They won the 1903 Nobel in Physics & she became the only person to win a Nobel in 2 science categories with her 1911 Nobel in Chemistry. #WomenInSTEM

Zoologist & primatologist Dian Fossey was murdered #OTD in 1985. She is best known for researching the endangered #gorillas of the Rwandan mountain forest. #WomenInSTEM Fossey's memoir 𝘎𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘪𝘴𝘵 was adapted into the 1988 movie of the same name (w/Sigourney Weaver). gorillafund.org

Astronomer Vera Rubin died #OTD in 2016. She pioneered work on invisible dark matter in the universe & many felt she was overlooked for a #Nobel Prize. Mentoring aspiring women astronomers, she spent her life advocating for #WomenInScience. nytimes.com/2016/12/27/s...#OTD#Nobel#WomenInScience#astronomy #WomenInSTEM

Dr. Nancy Roman is known as the 𝘔𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘏𝘶𝘣𝘣𝘭𝘦 for her foundational role in planning the Hubble Space Telescope. Now the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is scheduled to launch by May 2027. It’s expected to unveil >100,000 distant worlds, 100s of millions of stars & billions of galaxies. 😮 #wow

Holly Ridings was born #OTD in 1973. She was NASA's first female Chief Flight Director (2018-2022). In that role, she was responsible for leading the elite group that directs all human spaceflight missions from the Mission Control Center at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. #WomenInSTEM

Dr. Nancy Roman 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 NASA's space #astronomy program. NASA's first Chief of Astronomy, she established the program from scratch, bringing together scientists/engineers to realize the potential of orbiting telescopes & influencing decades of #astrophysics. She died #OTD in 2018. #WomenInSTEM

Thank you for your work to plan the Rosie the Riveter Nat'l Historical Park that memorializes the role of women here at home during WWII & for becoming a park ranger at age 85. We may not have known you otherwise & that would've been a loss for us all. Goodnight & godspeed, Betty Reid Soskin🕯️

Kathy Whitworth--the winningest golfer in history--died #OTD in 2022. She won 88 LPGA Tour tournaments, more than anyone else on the LPGA or PGA Tours. A runner-up 93 times gives her 181 top-2 finishes. First woman to reach career earnings of $1MM on the LPGA Tour. 7-time Player of the Year. #golf

Who was America's first self-made female millionaire? Entrepreneur Madam C.J. Walker, born #OTD in 1867. She built an empire with a line of beauty & hair care products for Black women. Known for her philanthropy & activism, she supported #civilrights causes & was a patron of the arts.

#OTD in 1815, Jane Austen's 𝘌𝘮𝘮𝘢--a novel about youthful hubris and romantic misunderstandings--was first published. #literature #litsky #booksky

Organic chemist Anna Jane Harrison was born #OTD in 1912. She was the first female president of the American Chemical Society. A professor of #chemistry at Mount Holyoke College for nearly 40 years, she was active nationally and internationally as a supporter of #WomenInScience. #WomenInSTEM 🧪

#OTD in 1919, Alice H. Parker received a US patent for her innovative gas-powered central heating furnace design. Her invention was a precursor to today's forced-air central heating. #inventor

English novelist & poet George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans) died #OTD in 1880. Her Victorian-era works are known for their realism, sense of place & detailed depiction of the countryside. 𝘔𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 has been described as one of the greatest novels in the English language. #literature #litsky #booksky

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘗𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘙𝘢𝘣𝘣𝘪𝘵 began in 1893 as an illustrated letter to cheer up a sick child. Once developed into the full story, it was rejected by multiple publishing houses. So, Potter self-published the first 250 copies in 1901. 🐰

Women's rights advocate Lucy Burns died #OTD in 1966. Burns founded the National Women’s Party with Alice Paul. An activist in the US & UK, she joined the militant suffragettes. She played a key role advocating for the 19th Amendment that granted American women the right to vote. #history #suffrage

Beatrix Potter--English writer, illustrator, natural scientist--died #OTD in 1943. With >250 million copies sold, she is one of the best-selling authors of all time. Her most famous book, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘗𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘙𝘢𝘣𝘣𝘪𝘵, remains one of the best-selling books in history. #booksky #literature #litsky

Florence "Flo-Jo" Joyner was born #OTD in 1959--and is considered the fastest woman of all time. To date, her 1988 200m World and Olympic record (21.34) & 100m World record (10.49) still stand. #Olympic Gold Medalist (x3). #WomenInSport #champion #legend

#OTD in 1991, acclaimed violinist Hilary Hahn made her major orchestral debut with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝟣𝟤! A 3-time Grammy Award winner, Hahn has been praised as "the world's greatest living violinist" by critics for her flawless technique and innovative repertoire. #music

Who was the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate? Arkansas Senator Hattie Ophelia Caraway. Caraway first assumed her husband's Senate seat after his death in 1931. Most thought she would step aside at election time. She didn't. She ran & was elected. She died #OTD in 1950. #history #UShistory

Sacagawea played an indispensable role as interpreter, guide & diplomat for the Lewis & Clark Expedition (1804–1806). A teenage Lemhi Shoshone mother (w/her son her back), she helped navigate 1000s of miles from N. Dakota to the Pacific Ocean & back. #NativeAmerican #history She died #OTD in 1812.

#OTD in 1933, Helen Richey & Frances Harrell Marsalis took off in their Curtiss Thrush monoplane 𝘖𝘶𝘵𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘎𝘪𝘳𝘭--& landed 9 days, 21 hours & 42 minutes later--refueling 80+ times in mid-air. 😮 This set a new women’s endurance record & was the 3rd-longest endurance flight ever at the time. #aviation

The "Queen Mother of American Tennis," Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman was born #OTD in 1886. She dominated US women's tennis before WWI, winning 45 titles (+2 Olympic gold & 1 Wimbledon). She founded the Wightman Cup (UK/US competition, 1923-1989) to generate international interest in women's #tennis.

The fabulous Cicely Tyson was born #OTD in 1924. Her career spanned more than 6 decades & her awards included 3 Primetime Emmys, 4 Black Reel Awards, a SAG Award, a Tony, an honorary Academy Award & a Peabody Award. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016. #legend

First woman to receive an academic PhD? Elena Cornaro Piscopia, doctorate in #Philosophy, University of Padua (Italy) on 25 June 1678. She originally applied for a doctorate in Theology. Church authorities refused as women were not permitted to teach or preach #theology. #education #highered

Louise Blanchard Bethune was the first-known female professional #architect in the US. She died #OTD in 1913. She worked primarily in Buffalo, NY, and partnered with her husband at Bethune, Bethune & Fuchs. #NYhistory #architecture pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org/louise-blanc...

French mathematician & physicist Émilie du Châtelet was born #OTD in 1706. #WomenInSTEM Her magnum opus, 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘥𝘦 𝘗𝘩𝘺𝘴𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘦 (𝘍𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘗𝘩𝘺𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘴, 1740) covered the principles of knowledge, the existence of God, hypotheses, space, time, matter, the forces of nature & more. #physics

Physician & suffragist Elizabeth Anderson died #OTD in 1917. She was the: * First woman to qualify in the #UK as a physician & surgeon & first MD in France * Co-founder of the first hospital staffed by women * First dean of a British medical school * First female mayor in the UK #WomenInSTEM

Educator & abolitionist Myrtilla Miner died #OTD in 1864. In 1851--when slavery was still legal in the US--she opened the Normal School for Colored Girls in Washington, D.C. It grew into the University of the District of Columbia, the only public university in DC. #history #blackhistory #education

#OTD in 1961, AP names Wilma Rudolph Female Athlete of the Year for the 2nd consecutive year Rudolph overcame childhood polio to become the fastest woman runner in the world; first American woman to win 3 track/field gold medals in a single Olympiad, Rome 1960. #WomenInSport #champion #inspiration

British polar explorer Maria Leijerstam is the first person in the world to reach the South Pole by cycling from the edge of the Antarctic continent. She set off on her world-record-setting White Ice Cycle expedition #OTD in 2013. She rode a custom-built recumbent trike. #adventure #cycling #trek

English writer Jane Austen was born #OTD in 1775. "As beloved as Shakespeare," her works include 𝘚𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 (1811), 𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘫𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘦 (1813), 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘬 (1814) & 𝘌𝘮𝘮𝘢 (1816). #booksky #litsky #literature

The first-ever #sciencefiction story written by a woman? 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 by Margaret Cavendish, 1666, a satirical utopian fiction set in a parallel world with fantastical tech, hybrid animal-people, and different natural laws. Cavendish died #OTD in 1673. #scifi #booksky #literature #litsky

"Never believe that a few caring people can't change the world. For, indeed, that's all who ever have." Remembering Margaret Mead, who was born #OTD in 1901. She was one of the most important cultural anthropologists in history. www.history.com/articles/mar...#OTD#WomenInSTEM #quote

MLK Jr. called her "The Mother of the Movement." Septima Poinsette Clark, educator & civil rights activist, died #OTD in 1987 at age 89. The Woman Who Schooled the #CivilRights Movement: ti.me/2HOZQ9s#OTD#CivilRights#history #blackhistory

Heidi Carman founded First Responder Therapy Dogs in 2021. Therapy #dogs can significantly reduce stress/anxiety & elevate mood--helping to give our heroes the emotional support they deserve. They've visited >150,000 first responders since 2021. firstrespondertherapydogs.org/

Dr. Leila Denmark co-developed the pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine. World's oldest practicing pediatrician until she retired at age 103 (after 73 yrs). At the time of her death at age 114 & 60 days, she was the 5th-oldest validated living person in the world & 3rd-oldest in the US. #WomenInSTEM

How many mountain peaks are >8,000 meters (26,247 feet)? 14 First women to climb all 14? Edurne Pasaban (Spain), completed in May 2010. First woman to climb all 14 without supplementary oxygen? Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner (Austria), completed in August 2011. #climbing #mountaineering #firsts

The latest #Olympic 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 to admit women? Ski jumping (normal hill event)--2014 Sochi Games. Inaugural medalists: 🥇 Carina Vogt (Germany) 🥈 Daniela Iraschko-Stolz (Austria) 🥉 Coline Mattel (France) The women's large hill #skijumping event debuts at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina.

#OTD in 1985, Wilma Mankiller took office as the first female Principal Chief of the #Cherokee Nation, one of the most prominent tribes in the U.S. Serving until 1995, Mankiller was known for her accomplishments in education, healthcare, and government reform. #NativeAmerican #leader

Emma Kok made her debut at the age of 15 with André Rieu before large audiences and toured the world. She lives with a paralyzed stomach (gastroparesis) and founded a foundation to support people with her condition. youtu.be/KdIhq1tb8Co?... @admirablewomen.bsky.social

At age 13, German violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter made her orchestral debut with the Berlin Philharmonic and, at 16, made her American debut with the New York Philharmonic. Widely considered one of history's finest violinists, her numerous awards include 4 Grammys. #music #violin #ViolinDay