The first observance of Women's Day was held in 1909. It is held on March 8th each year and commemorates women's rights. While that first observance was held on February 28th in New York City, it was suggested by the 1910 International Women's Conference that it become an annual and international celebration. And thus International Women's Day was born. After women in Russia gained suffrage in 1917 on March 8th, it became a national holiday there. The day was then predominantly celebrated by the socialist movement and communist countries until it was adopted in 1975 by the United Nations.
I thought it might be appropriate today to look at a few interesting facts about women. So here are some of the best ones I came up with.
1. Today, 71% of all mothers with children under 17 years of age work outside the home. This is up from 47% in 1975.
2. Women currently hold 17% of the Congressional and Senate seats in the US and 18% of the gubernatorial positions in the US.
3. In almost every country in the world, women's life expectancy is higher than it is for men.
4. The two highest IQ's ever recorded both belonged to women.
5. The first woman to run and finish the Boston Marathon was Roberta Gibb in 1966.
6. Mary Queen of Scots is reported to be the first woman to play golf on Scotland.
7. The world's first novel, The Tale of the Genjii, was published in Japan around A.D. 1000 by female author Murasaki Shikibu.
8. Marie Curie is the only woman to with two Nobel Prizes.
9. Hapshetsut was one of the most powerful woman in the ancient world and was the first and only female pharaoh in recorded history.
10. Queen Victoria ruled one of the largest empires in the world, at one point controlling land on nearly every continent.
11. Jane Addams was the first woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize making her one of the most influential and prolific women in American history.
12. Upon her husband's death, Cherokee leader Nancy Ward took his place in a 1775 battle against the Creeks and led her people to victory. After the battle, she became head of the Women's Council and a member of the Council of Chiefs.
13. In 1777, sixteen-year-old Sybil Ludington raced through the night to warn New York Patriots that the British were attacking nearby Danbury, Connecticut, where munitions and supplies for the entire region were stored during the heat of the Revolutionary War.
14. The earliest recorded female physician was Merit Ptah, a doctor in ancient Egypt who lived around 2700 B.C.
15. The first person to make the daring attempt to go over Niagra Falls in a wooden barrel was a woman. On October 24, 1901, Annie Edson Taylor, a forty-three-year-old school teacher from Michigan plunged over the falls. She miraculously survived with only a small gash on her head.
16. The mother of the first frog author from Land of Lily Pad encouraged her young son to follow his dream of becoming a writer, even though no frog before had ever written anything. And that would would be, of course, my mom. She's awesome!
Today we honor and celebrate women all over the world. Let's face it, none of us would be here without one. Women are amazing and I salute each of you for your courage, love, compassion, and intelligence. You make this planet so much better and a more beautiful place for us all to live.
I thought it might be appropriate today to look at a few interesting facts about women. So here are some of the best ones I came up with.
1. Today, 71% of all mothers with children under 17 years of age work outside the home. This is up from 47% in 1975.
2. Women currently hold 17% of the Congressional and Senate seats in the US and 18% of the gubernatorial positions in the US.
3. In almost every country in the world, women's life expectancy is higher than it is for men.
4. The two highest IQ's ever recorded both belonged to women.
5. The first woman to run and finish the Boston Marathon was Roberta Gibb in 1966.
6. Mary Queen of Scots is reported to be the first woman to play golf on Scotland.
7. The world's first novel, The Tale of the Genjii, was published in Japan around A.D. 1000 by female author Murasaki Shikibu.
8. Marie Curie is the only woman to with two Nobel Prizes.
9. Hapshetsut was one of the most powerful woman in the ancient world and was the first and only female pharaoh in recorded history.
10. Queen Victoria ruled one of the largest empires in the world, at one point controlling land on nearly every continent.
11. Jane Addams was the first woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize making her one of the most influential and prolific women in American history.
12. Upon her husband's death, Cherokee leader Nancy Ward took his place in a 1775 battle against the Creeks and led her people to victory. After the battle, she became head of the Women's Council and a member of the Council of Chiefs.
13. In 1777, sixteen-year-old Sybil Ludington raced through the night to warn New York Patriots that the British were attacking nearby Danbury, Connecticut, where munitions and supplies for the entire region were stored during the heat of the Revolutionary War.
14. The earliest recorded female physician was Merit Ptah, a doctor in ancient Egypt who lived around 2700 B.C.
15. The first person to make the daring attempt to go over Niagra Falls in a wooden barrel was a woman. On October 24, 1901, Annie Edson Taylor, a forty-three-year-old school teacher from Michigan plunged over the falls. She miraculously survived with only a small gash on her head.
16. The mother of the first frog author from Land of Lily Pad encouraged her young son to follow his dream of becoming a writer, even though no frog before had ever written anything. And that would would be, of course, my mom. She's awesome!
Today we honor and celebrate women all over the world. Let's face it, none of us would be here without one. Women are amazing and I salute each of you for your courage, love, compassion, and intelligence. You make this planet so much better and a more beautiful place for us all to live.
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