Early 1900s Women Had an Ingenious Method for Fending Off Gropers

From History in the Headlines:

Hatpin-wielding women were some of the first voices to call rude men out on their behavior, all while using a tool from the seemingly innocent and feminine world of fashion.

As women gained independence and started walking and traveling alone during the late 1800s and early 1900s, hatpins provided a quick line of defense from the unwanted touches and words of passing men. These lecherous men were known as “mashers,” and considered to be “low-down, cowardly cumberers of the earth,” as a 1904 blurb in the Los Angeles Herald put it. “Any woman with courage and a hatpin can prove it,” the paper added.

How these six women's protests changed history

From The Guardian:

The march follows a long tradition of protests organized by women. Many happened in the US, including the march on Washington in support of the Equal Rights Amendment in 1978, and the Million Women March, a movement of African American women which took place in Philadelphia in 1997. And Black Lives Matter was spearheaded by three black women: Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi.

read more about:

• Women’s march on Versailles: 5 October 1789
• Women’s suffrage parade in Washington DC: 3 March 1913
• Women’s march on Pretoria: 9 August 1956
• Icelandic women’s strike: 24 October 1975
• Protests of abortion ban in Poland: October 2016
• Argentinian women against violence: October 2016

Women Got ‘Married’ Long Before Gay Marriage

From History in the Headlines:

In 1880, on the first anniversary of her marriage, author Sarah Orne Jewett penned a romantic poem to her partner. “Do you remember, darling, a year ago today, when we gave ourselves to each other?” she wrote. “We will not take back the promises we made a year ago.”

Jewett wasn’t addressing her husband—she was writing to her future wife, Annie Adams Fields. Over a century before same-sex marriage became the law of the land, Jewett and Adams lived together in a “Boston marriage,” a committed partnership between women.

They weren’t the only ones: For several years near the turn of the 20th century, same-sex marriage was relatively common and even socially acceptable. These women shared kisses, hugs and their lives—but today, few remember these pioneers of same-sex relationships.

see also:

• Boston Marriage - wikipedia
• Boston Marriage - Women living together
• Female Husbands - NPR
• Boston Marriage - glbtq archive

PNG women’s wartime memories cast new light on Kokoda and the Pacific War

From The Conversation:

November 2017 marked the 75th anniversary of the end of the Kokoda Track Campaign. The campaign involved a series of battles between Allied and Japanese forces during the second world war, along the mountainous 96km track connecting Kokoda Station, in Papua New Guinea’s Oro Province, with the capital Port Moresby.

Women are barely represented in the popular museum at Kokoda Station, or in the Australian-funded war memorial in the provincial capital, Popondetta.

As in all contexts of remembrance, the experiences of Oro women do not add up to a cohesive, singular narrative. Rather, these and other wartime memories represent multiple accounts of a complex, transformative time that is remembered in sometimes ambivalent ways.

Zonia Baber - The Woman Who Transformed How We Teach Geography

From Science | Smithsonian:

On n the morning of October 30, 1916, Zonia Baber stood in front of four hundred government officials and leaders in the arts and sciences and told them to go to hell.

Baber’s unapologetic speech was emblematic of her work as both a geographer and activist—two parts of her life that often blended and intertwined. As a geographer, she worked tirelessly to reform geography education to make it more meaningful and worthwhile for students. At first glance, her legacy appears to be that of an educator and reformer. Yet at the same time, she transformed the field of geography, by seeing it not as a means of colonization but of connection and understanding between cultures.

read more here:

@ Trowelblazers

@ Wikipedia

@ Peace Monuments Around the World

Top 10 Japanese women throughout history

From SoraNews24:

Every nation has women who are remembered throughout history for the impact they had on their country. Today we present you with 10 Japanese women–game changers, if you will–who fundamentally altered the way the nation sees or experiences the world today. Most of these women have achieved fame abroad as well, another hallmark of success in Japan. Many names you’ll recognize, but a few may be a surprise. But they are all well-known among the Japanese and are looked up to and praised by women and men throughout the country.

See also: 

• 5 Japanese-American women activists left out of US history books
• Badass women in Japanese history
• Famous women in Japanese history
• 9 notable Japanese women
• Famous Japanese women

International Women's Day: 50 Who Made US Political History | Time

From Time:

The history of women in American politics is just as long as that of the nation as a whole. Even in the days before the Constitution guaranteed women the right to vote, many tried hard to make a difference as best they could — and succeeded, not only by breaking glass ceilings and proving that women could handle the job but also by introducing important legislation, standing up for their fellow citizens’ rights and much more.

Whether they held office at the local and federal level, whether they were appointed to the most high-profile jobs in politics or to a role many would never hear about, and even if they merely ran and lost, each made her mark. Some of them wielded their influence in the nation’s earliest days and others have only recently been elected to office. And, of course, that history is still being written by many women who have yet to make it to the history books.

Victoria Police - 100 Years of Women In Policing

Victoria Police celebrated 100 Years of Women in Policing in 2017 - read more here @ Victoria Police

The Shocking Infanticide Trial That Exposed Sexual Harassment in 1868

From History in the Headlines:

When Susan B. Anthony took the stage at New York’s Cooper Union on the night of December 1, 1868, the activist wasn’t there to fight for the ballot—she was there to demand the release of a convicted murderer from prison. As she took the stage, she told the audience about the case of Hester Vaughn, a woman tried and convicted of murdering her own baby. But Vaughn wasn’t a cold-blooded murderer, Anthony insisted, she was yet another victim of a system that denied women their basic human rights.

Though her champions helped win her release, they were unable to solve the problems faced by a poor woman in the 19th century. But Vaughn’s infanticide trial became the spark for a discussion about the very morality of a legal system that seemed to punish women who were victims—a conversation that continues to this day.

read more here @ The Revolution and @ Hester Vaughan Trial and @ Lives in the Law

New Website Explores the Women in Architecture

From Smithsonian:

The project, titled “Pioneering Women of American Architecture,” currently features hefty profiles of 24 female architects. Another 26 profiles will be added to the collection in the future, reports Elizabeth Fazzare at Architectural Digest. To compile these biographies, a team of scholars relied on “hundreds of interviews and countless hours digging through archives,” according to the project’s website. The profiles also include photographic documentation of structures, layout plans and the women themselves, bringing the architects and their work to life.

All of the project’s featured architects were born before 1940 and worked during a time when, the website writes, women “struggled both to be allowed entry into the architectural profession and to be recognized for their work.” Visitors can learn about Louise Blanchard Bethune, the first woman to be admitted to the American Institute of Architects, and Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter, who drew on Native American construction traditions when designing landmark buildings in the Grand Canyon. The site also includes profiles of the likes of Norma Merrick Sklarek, who is lauded as one of the first African-American women to break into the field of architecture, who overcame workplace racism and oversaw major architectural projects in California.

Noeline Kyle’s significant service honoured

From Camden Haven Courier:

Lake Cathie resident Dr Noeline Kyle carved a career in higher education after returning to study as a mature age student.

The Emeritus Professor has been appointed a Member (AM) of the Order of Australia in recognition of her significant service to history, and to higher education, as a researcher, author and educator, and through advisory roles for arts funding programs.

Dr Kyle said she was absolutely gobsmacked.

She said it was important to ensure the honour highlighted not just her work but also the work of local history societies and family history societies.

Read more here:
@ Australian National Museum of Education
@ University of Sydney

Queen Nanny - Obeah Woman + Warrior

From Patheos:

Most of the time women’s history takes a back seat in the literature, this is the case with the legendary Queen Nanny. Known also as Nanny of the Maroons, this woman was a powerful leader, and a force to be reckoned with.

There are many differing reports of Nanny’s life. Some recount that she was an escaped slave, some say she may have had slaves of her own. It is irrefutable however that she was a hero of Jamaica who practiced that ancient african magick known as Obeah. Many prefer to downplay her connection to African healing methods and magicks.

Read more here @ Black Then: Queen Nanny of the Win ward Maroons: Mother to all Jamaicans

The first women at university: Remembering ‘the London Nine’

From Times Higher Education (THE):

The University of London’s Leading Women campaign is celebrating the pioneering women who joined the university 150 years ago, writes Philip Carter.

At 2pm on Saturday 15 May 1869, the 17 examiners of the University of London gathered at Somerset House on the Strand. Their task that afternoon was an unusual one: to assess and grade the university’s first “General Examination for Women”, which nine candidates had sat earlier that month.

The examiners (all men) awarded honours to six of the nine women: Sarah Jane Moody, Eliza Orme,Louisa von Glehn, Kate Spiller, Isabella de Lancy West and Susannah Wood. The remaining three students – Mary Anne Belcher, Hendilah Lawrence and Mary Baker Watson – did not pass the examination. Regardless, all nine were pioneers in women’s higher education.

Why Europe was overrun by witch hunts in early modern history

From Quartz:

Why is it that early modern Europe had such a fervor for witch hunting? Between 1400 to 1782, when Switzerland tried and executed Europe’s last supposed witch, between 40,000 and 60,000 people were put to death for witchcraft, according to historical consensus. The epicenter of the witch hunts was Europe’s German-speaking heartland, an area that makes up Germany, Switzerland, and northeastern France.

As competition for religious market share heated up, churches expanded beyond the standard spiritual services and began focusing on salvation from devilry here on earth. Among both Catholics and Protestants, witch-hunting became a prime service for attracting and appeasing the masses by demonstrating their Satan-fighting prowess.

See also: Born Guilty: History of Witch Trials in Zagreb

Neolithic girl's reconstructed face unveiled

From Tornos News:

An 18-year-old girl who lived in Greece 7,000 years ago and was unearthed by archaeologists in Theopetra cave, near the city of Trikala, has had her face reconstructed and is about to officially introduce herself to the public.

Eight years after the revelation of Myrtis, the reconstructed head of a girl that once lived in Classical-era ancient Athens and died during the plague in Athens in the 5th century BC and following the international sensation that it caused, the Acropolis museum is ready to to introduce Dawn’s new face from an even earlier past, to Greek and international audiences.

The only Empress of India was a Muslim

From National Herald:

Not many Indians realise or remember that the only Empress of India lived and died 800 years ago.

India was ruled by slave dynasty from Turkey during 1206 and 1290 AD. Qutab-ud-din Aibak was the first emperor from slave dynasty and he set up the Delhi Sultanate. His son-in-law Iltutmish succeeded him. Razia was the daughter of Iltutmish and granddaughter of Qutab-ud-din, who had begun building the Qutab Minar in Delhi and who lies buried in Lahore.

Razia Sultan ruled over India for just about four years between 1236 and 1240, but she left an indelible imprint during this short period on Indian history.

More on Razia Sultan:

* wikipedia

* history of islam

Further reading:

* The Legend Makers: Some Eminent Muslim Women of India by Gouri Srivastava

* Status of Muslim Women in India edited by Hajira Kumar

* Royal Mughal Ladies and Their Contributions by Soma Mukherjee

Women Around the World: Year in Review

So, another year is done. How did 2017 shape up for women and girls around the globe? Here is a selection of news:

Council on Foreign Relations:

• Record-breaking Women's March on January 21, 2017
• Global #MeToo campaign
• Legal advances in the Middle East
• U.S. Women, Peace, and Security Act is enacted
• U.S. slashes funding for global women’s health
• Legal reform on child marriage
• Gains in women's political leadership
• Low participation in peace talks
• Global migration crisis grows
• Female fighters combat terrorism

Women Leadership in the Worldwide Community:

• Almost four in ten businesses have no women in senior management positions in G7 countries
• The proportion of senior business roles held by women globally stands at only 24%
• There is an increase in the percentage of firms that have no places for women in senior management
• In G7 countries only 22% of companies have women as part of their senior staff
• 39% of companies have no women in senior roles whatsoever in G7 countries
• In Japan, with its powerhouse economy, only 7 percent of companies have women in senior roles
• Germany, another country with a strong economy, has only a 15% rate of countries with women in senior roles

News Deeply:

• women's march
• U.S. cuts funding to UNFPA
• Canada announces international assistance policy
• Family Planning receives funding boost
• advancements in women's rights globally
• Global #metoo campaign
• widening of the Global Gender Gap

The Lilly:

• the year in Movies

Rwanda: The Women Who Made a Difference in 2017

From allAfrica.com:

Rwandan women have over the years made progress in various sectors, taking on male-dominated fields with zeal and confidence. As the year comes to an end, Sharon Kantengwa looks at some of the women who made commendable strides in 2017:

• - Jolly Mutesi
• - Alice Umuhoza
• - Vanessa Bahati
• - Aimee Laetitia Umubyeyi and Malaika Uwamahoro
• - Beth Gatonye
• - Yvette Ishimwe and Kellia Uwiragiye
• - Elsa Iradukunda
• - Sonia Mugabo
• - Hope Azeda
• - Charly & Nina