Dr. Dorothy Klenke Nash was the first female neurosurgeon in the US. #NationalDoctorsDay She began her practice in 1928 & was the only female neurosurgeon in the US for 32 years. In 1960, Dr. Ruth Kerr Jakoby became the second. #WomenInSTEM #WomensHistoryMonth

English writer Anna Sewell was born #OTD in 1820. Her only novel, 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘺, has sold more than 50MM copies making it one of the best-selling books of all time. #booksky #litsky #fiction #WomensHistoryMonth

Ellen Swallow Richards died #OTD in 1911--she was an industrial & safety engineer and environmental chemist. She was also the: - 1st female student at MIT - 1st female grad of MIT - 1st American woman to obtain a degree in chemistry 🧪 - 1st female instructor at MIT #firsts #WomenInSTEM

#OTD in 2019, Stevie Nicks became the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice (first time with Fleetwood Mac in 1998). #music #musicsky #musichistory #WomensHistoryMonth

Agnes Varda, the legendary French New Wave #film director, died #OTD in 2019 at the age of 90. She was the first female director to receive a rare honorary Palme d'Or at Cannes in 2015 & a lifetime-achievement Oscar from the Academy in 2017. #filmsky #WomensHistoryMonth

#OTD in 1936, Danish seismologist Inge Lehmann wrote a famous letter to a colleague outlining her theory that seismic waves (P-waves) recorded from distant earthquakes indicated Earth had a solid inner core. Her discovery fundamentally changed our understanding of the Earth's interior. #WomenInSTEM

Prominent anti-apartheid activist Dulcie September was assassinated in Paris #OTD in 1988. Widely believed to have been motivated by her investigations into illegal arms trafficking and nuclear collaboration between France & South Africa. The case remains unsolved. #WomensHistoryMonth

British illustrator Peggy Fortnum was the first artist to give a visual form to Paddington Bear, the marmalade-loving bear from “darkest Peru.” Her whimsical drawings helped make Paddington an instantly recognizable & beloved character worldwide. She died #OTD in 2016. #artsky #WomensHistoryMonth

⚠️ CW: Comments may contain discussion of suicide. English writer Virginia Woolf died #OTD in 1941. She was 59. Woolf is considered one of the most important modernist 20th-century authors and a pioneer in the use of stream of consciousness as a narrative device. #literature #litsky #booksky

#OTD in 1964, Yvonne Barr co-discovered the Epstein-Barr virus, the first known 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 tumor virus. She cultured the cell lines that allowed the virus be seen. Proving viruses cause human cancer is "one of the 20th century's most significant scientific discoveries." #WomenInSTEM #WomensHistoryMonth

❤️ Alice Wong is regarded as one of the most influential voices in modern disability justice. She founded the Disability Visibility Project (2014) and used storytelling, social media & intersectional advocacy to center disabled people in cultural & political conversations. She was born #OTD in 1974.

#Baseball pioneer Effa Manley was the first (to-date, only) woman elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. @baseballhall.org#Baseball Manley was co-owner of the Newark Eagles (a Negro League powerhouse) & a staunch advocate for Black ballplayers & civil rights causes. She was born #OTD in 1897. I ❤️ ⚾

Elsie MacGill was the first woman in the world to earn a master’s degree in aeronautical engineering (1929). The "Queen of the Hurricanes" was a pioneering Canadian aircraft designer who led production of the Hawker Hurricane fighter planes during #WWII. She was born #OTD in 1905. #WomenInSTEM

Rocket & jet propulsion engineer Yvonne Brill invented the Electrothermal Hydrazine Thruster & holds the patent. It keeps satellites in orbit. Recipient, National Medal of Technology and Innovation, 2010. She died #OTD in 2013. #WomenInSTEM #WomensHistoryMonth #engineering

Woo-hoo, she did it! ⛷️Congratulations Mikaela Shiffrin! 🥳 She won her 6th World Cup overall title yesterday tying Annemarie Moser-Pröll's record. ⛷️ www.nbcsports.com/olympics/new...

Surgeon Bertha Van Hoosen (b. #OTD in 1863) was devoted to women's health issues & the advancement of fellow women surgeons. + Co-founder/1st president, American Medical Women's Assoc., 1915 + First woman head, medical division at a coeducational university, Loyola U. Med School, 1918 #WomenInSTEM

#OTD in 2012, Janet C. Wolfenbarger was confirmed by the U.S. Senate & became the first woman 4-star general in the U.S. Air Force. 👀 As of February 2025, there are no longer any women serving as 4-star officers in the US military. 👀 #WomenInSTEM #WomensHistoryMonth

Virginia Norwood (d. #OTD in 2023) was a pioneering aerospace engineer, physicist & inventor widely known as the “Mother of Landsat.” She designed the Multispectral Scanner—the instrument making the Landsat program possible & revolutionized how we observe & monitor Earth from space. #WomenInSTEM

Frances Glessner Lee is widely seen as the “mother of forensic science.” Most famous for her Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death: 20 hand-crafted intricate miniature dioramas (1 in = 1 ft) depicting real-world composite crime scenes. She was born #OTD in 1878. #WomenInSTEM #WomensHistoryMonth

Investigative journalist Ida B. Wells (d. #OTD in 1931) was one of the most courageous & effective anti-lynching crusaders in US history. Wells’ fearless use of facts, data & moral clarity against systemic violence remains a model for activists & journalists. #WomensHistoryMonth #journalism

The first International Council of Women conference began #OTD in 1888. Women from 9 countries strategized women's suffrage & equality. First global women’s rights assembly, sparking transnational activism. Milestone in organizing women’s voices worldwide. #WomensHistoryMonth #womensrights

#OTD in 1942, Aretha Franklin--the undisputed Queen of Soul--was born. 🎤 + Singer & songwriter + 18 Grammy Awards + >75 million records sold + First female performer inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, 1987 #WHM #music #legend #WomensHistoryMonth

Marie Krogh (d. #OTD in 1943) was one of the most influential women in early 20th-century science. A physician & physiologist, she played a decisive role in bringing insulin therapy to #Denmark & helped lay the foundation for what became the global pharma giant Novo Nordisk. #WomenInSTEM #WHM

Dr. Dorothy Height was a pivotal #civilrights leader & the "godmother of the women's movement." Long-time president of the National Council of Negro Women, she bridged racial & gender divides, focusing on equality, voter registration, & economic empowerment for Black women. Born #OTD in 1912. #WHM

French filmmaker Alice Guy-Blaché is widely recognized as the world's first female director & a primary inventor of narrative cinema. Founder & artistic director of the Solax Studios in Flushing, New York in 1910. She died #OTD in 1968. #WomensHistoryMonth #film

#OTD in 1921, the first Women's Olympiad opened in Monaco. The world's first international multi-sport competition for women, created in response to the International Olympic Committee's refusal to include women's track and field in the official Olympic Games. #WomensHistoryMonth #history

Biochemist Florence Seibert developed the Purified Protein Derivative (PPD) in the 1930s. Before her work, TB skin tests were inconsistent & unreliable. Her PPD formula was adopted as the internat'l standard (1952) & remains the gold standard for TB testing today. #WorldTuberculosisDay #WomenInSTEM

Computer scientist Jean E. Sammet (b. #OTD in 1928): +Developed the FORMAC programming language, 1962 +Co-developer, COBOL programming language +1st female president, Assoc for Computing Machinery, 1974, world's largest educational & scientific computing society #WomenInSTEM #computerscience #WHM

🔭 Beatrice Tinsley died #OTD in 1981. British-born New Zealand astronomer and cosmologist, and the first female professor of #astronomy at Yale University, whose research made fundamental contributions to the astronomical understanding of how galaxies evolve, grow, and die. #WomenInSTEM #WHM

Emmy Noether was described by Albert Einstein (& others) as the most important woman in the history of #mathematics. + Many important contributions to abstract algebra + Proved Noether's first & second theorems, which are fundamental in mathematical physics Born #OTD in 1882. #WomenInSTEM #WHM

Physician/biochemist Dr. Greta Hammarsten (b. #OTD in 1896) helped establish the field of clinical #chemistry as a modern medical discipline in Scandinavia. She was the driving force behind practical, reliable laboratory methods that improved patient diagnosis. #WomenInSTEM #WHM #ChemSky 🧪

#OTD in 2024, Jasmin Paris became the first woman to complete the Barclay Marathons--1 of only 20 ppl to complete it since 1995, finishing 99 sec before the 60-hour time limit. One of the world’s toughest ultramarathons: 5 loops (20-26 mi each) w/>60,000 ft of climbing/descent. #WomensHistoryMonth

After Caroline Norton's husband took her kids & earnings, she fought for: + Custody of Infants Act 1839: For the first time gave married women a right to their children + Matrimonial Causes Act 1857: Deserted wives' right to own & protect property She was born #OTD in 1808. #UK #WomensHistoryMonth

Japanese geochemist & oceanographer Katsuko Saruhashi's work advanced our understanding of ocean chemistry, carbon dioxide in seawater & the environmental impacts of nuclear testing. First woman to earn a PhD in #chemistry (or science) from U. of Tokyo, 1957. She was born #OTD in 1920. #WomenInSTEM

🔭 Astronomer Antonia Maury (b. #OTD in 1866) was a "Harvard Computer" (women who processed astronomical data at the Harvard College Observatory). Known for her independent & rigorous scientific mind, her work provided the foundation for how we understand the life cycles of stars today. #WomenInSTEM

Remembering Nobel Peace Laureate Dr. Wangari Maathai on International Day of Forests.🌳 In 1977, she founded the Green Belt Movement. The #NGO is focused on restoring Kenya’s forests, protecting the environment, and empowering communities. #WomenInSTEM #ForestDay #ecosky #WomensHistoryMonth

Ancient Greek poet Sappho (c. 630 - c. 570 BC) is known for her lyric #poetry, written to be sung while accompanied by music. #WorldPoetryDay In ancient times, she was widely regarded as one of the greatest lyric poets. Most of her poetry is now lost; only the 𝘖𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘈𝘱𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘦 is complete. #litsky

Marit Bjørgen is the most-decorated Winter Olympian of all time. The Norwegian skier is also tied for third-most-decorated Olympian of all time. Her 5 medals at the 2018 Games brought her total to a record 15. 🥇 🥇 🥇 🥇 🥇 🥇 🥇 🥇 🥈 🥈 🥈 🥈 🥉 🥉 🥉 She was born #OTD in 1980. #champion #skiing #crosscountry

Song dynasty poet Li Qingzhao (1084 - c. 1155) is considered the greatest female poet in Chinese history. #WorldPoetryDay The main style of her most famous works is 𝘤𝘪 poetry, written according to musical patterns & allows personal & emotional expression: love, longing & private feelings. #litsky

Celebrating Dr. Marthe Gautier on World Down Syndrome Day. In May 1958, she discovered the extra 47th chromosome. Jérôme Lejeune took her slides, claimed the discovery as his own & robbed her of credit for 50 years. Today, we recognize the true pioneer of #Trisomy21. #WomenInSTEM #MatildaEffect

#OTD in 1985, Libby Riddles became the first woman to win the Iditarod after making a daring tactical decision during a massive Arctic storm 3 days earlier. While others waited out the storm, Riddles pushed on, vanished into the whiteout, gained a massive lead, and won the race. #WomensHistoryMonth

Singer, songwriter, and guitarist Sister Rosetta Tharpe was born #OTD in 1915. The original #soul sister & "Godmother of Rock & Roll" influenced Little Richard, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley & Jerry Lee Lewis. 😮 Great balls of fire! #WomensHistoryMonth #musichistory

Chemist/physician Dr. Maud Menten co-authored the seminal paper 𝘋𝘪𝘦 𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘬 𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘐𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘸𝘪𝘳𝘬𝘶𝘯𝘨, 1931. This intro'd the Michaelis–Menten equation (image). It remains a cornerstone of #biochemistry, used in drug design, metabolic studies & enzyme engineering. She was born #OTD in 1879. #WomenInSTEM

#OTD in 1852, Harriet Beecher Stowe's 𝘜𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘦 𝘛𝘰𝘮'𝘴 𝘊𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘯 was first published. Best-selling novel of the 19th century, it remains a landmark in American literature for its role in shifting public opinion against slavery & accelerating the path to the Civil War. #WomensHistoryMonth #litsky #booksky

China's "Mother of Semiconductors" physicist Dr. Xie Xide is a founder of semiconductor physics & surface physics research in China. As a teen she battled bone TB & went on to earn her PhD in theoretical #physics at MIT in 1951. She was born #OTD in 1921. #WomenInSTEM #WomensHistoryMonth (1/2)

Minna Canth (b. #OTD 1844) is Finland's first major female author writing in Finnish & its first significant feminist voice. She championed women's rights, social justice & education. Today is Minna Canth Day in #Finland, an official flag-flying day, and the Day of Equality. #WomensHistoryMonth

#OTD in 1990, the Internat'l Ice #Hockey Federation hosted its first ever sanctioned international women’s hockey tournament, paving the way for the sport to be played at the #Olympics. Canada, US, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, W Germany, Japan participated. Canada won. #WomensHistoryMonth

Mathematician Karen Uhlenbeck is one of the founders of modern geometric analysis. #OTD in 2019, she became the first woman to win the Abel Prize, the "Nobel Prize of Math." She donated half the prize money to orgs promoting more engagement of women in research #mathematics. #WomenInSTEM #WHM

Queen Latifah was born #OTD in 1970. Pioneering rapper, songwriter, Academy Award-nominated actress, powerhouse entrepreneur, advocate for women's empowerment & more. + Inductee, Rock & Roll HOF, 2021 + 2 Grammys + Emmy-winning producer + 1st hip-hop artist to receive Kennedy Center Honors, 2023

Speed skater Bonnie Blair is the most-decorated female US Winter Olympian of all time.🥇 🥇 🥇 🥇 🥇 🥉 + First US woman to win 5 Olympic gold medals + First woman to win #speedskating gold at 3 consecutive Olympics, 1988, 1992, 1994 She was born #OTD in 1964. #WomensHistoryMonth