Womens History Month – People you should know
- Jade Burnett
- Feb 27
- 2 min read
Emmeline Pankhurst
Emmeline Pankhurst (1858–1928) was brought up in a politically active family. She became involved in women's suffrage in 1880 and formed the Women's Social & Political Union (WSPU) when her local branch of the Independent Labour Party refused to admit women members. She believed winning the vote would never be achieved by constitutional means. She was imprisoned on a number of occasions for militant action, and went on hunger strike protests.
Stephanie Kwolek
Stephanie Louise was a Polish-American chemist best known for inventing Kevlar (poly-Para phenylene terephthalamide). Her career at the DuPont company spanned more than 40 years.
For her discovery, Kwolek was awarded the DuPont company's Lavoisier Medal for outstanding technical achievement. As of August 2019, she was the only female employee to have received that honour. In 1995 she became the fourth woman to be added to the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Kwolek won numerous awards for her work in polymer chemistry, including the National Medal of Technology, the IRI Achievement Award and the Perkin Medal.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Ruth Bader Ginsburg graduated from Columbia Law School, going on to become a staunch courtroom advocate for the fair treatment of women and working with the ACLU’s Women’s Rights Project. She was appointed by President Jimmy Carter to the U.S. Court of Appeals in 1980 and appointed to the Supreme Court by President Bill Clinton in 1993.
Louisa May Alcott
Famed author Louisa May Alcott created colourful relatable characters in 19th century novels. Her work introduced readers to educated strong female heroines. As a result, her writing style greatly impacted American literature.
Serena Williams
Serena Williams is an American tennis player who revolutionized women’s tennis with her powerful style of play and who won more Grand Slam singles titles (23) than any other woman or man during the open era.
Dr Ann Tsukamoto
Dr Ann Tsukamoto, a stem cell researcher who identified and patented a process that allowed the human stem cell to be isolated. Dr Tsukamoto’s contributions in stem cell research have revolutionized approaches to cancer treatment and the medical field at large.
Dr Shirley Jackson
Theoretical physicist Dr Shirley Jackson was the first black woman to receive a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1973. While working at Bell Laboratories, she conducted breakthrough scientific research with subatomic particles. Her research enabled others to invent the portable fax, touch-tone telephone, solar cells, fibre optic cables, and the technology behind caller ID and call waiting.
Billie Jean King
King is an advocate of gender equality and has long been a pioneer for equality and social justice. In 1973, at the age of 29, she famously won the "Battle of the Sexes" tennis match against the 55-year-old Bobby Riggs. King was also the founder of the Women's Tennis Association and the Women's Sports Foundation.
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