Thanks to Wonder Women: 25 Innovators, Inventors, and Trailblazers Who Changed History, by Sam Maggs , I heard about Ogino Ginko, the first woman doctor in Japan. This woman broke barriers by means of intelligence and persistence, and to the question “marriage or career?” she answered, “Why not both?” Ogino was born in 1851. She married a banker when she was sixteen and divorced him three years later after he gave her gonorrhea. Her treatments … Continue reading Kickass Women in History: Ogino Ginko→
Today’s Kickass Women doubles as a SQUEE grade book review. Balloonomania Belles by Sharon Wright is a comprehensive, fun, and sometimes harrowing look at female aeronauts (who flew balloons) and parachutists (who jumped out of them) from the first days of ballooning through the Edwardian Era. This book is easy to read, well organized, and comprehensive. However, it’s not very technical so for the mechanics of ballooning and parachuting, you’ll want to look elsewhere. Additionally, … Continue reading Kickass Women in History: Balloonomania Belles→
This month in Kickass Women in History, we celebrate the life of Manuela Sáenz y Aizpuru, “La Libertadora del Libertador.” This woman saved the life of Simón Bolívar and worked tirelessly to end Spanish colonial rule over South America. Sáenz was born in 1797 to an unwed mother. She was a tomboy and loved riding horses. Sent to a convent at one point, she got kicked out when she was seventeen after being seduced by … Continue reading Kickass Women in History: Manuela Sáenz y Aizpuru→
During the fight for women’s suffrage in California, the support of Latinx voters was essential. Maria Guadalupe Evangelina Lopez fought for suffrage, taught at the high school and university level, flew an airplane, and was an ambulance driver in WWI. She was the first (confirmed) Latina to teach at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and, as of 1902, their youngest professor. She was also the first person in The United States of America … Continue reading Kickass Women in History: Maria Guadalupe Evangelina Lopez→
This month’s Kickass Women is also a book review (Grade: A!). In Marmee and Louisa, we learn of a well-known kickass woman, Louisa May Alcott, and one much less well known – Louisa’s mother, the amazing Abigail. Marmee and Louisa: The Untold Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Mother, is a biography that focuses on the relationship between Louisa May Alcott (author of Little Women) and her mother, Abigail May Alcott. It is a … Continue reading Kickass Women in History: Louisa May Alcott and Abigail Alcott→
Thanks to a recommendation from Dennis, we have Fannie Sellins as this month’s Kickass Woman in History. Sellins was a labor rights activist who lived from 1872 to 1919. She was murdered while fighting for the rights of miners in Pennsylvania. For much of her life, Sellins (born Fannie Mooney) lived a typical urban working-class life. Sellins was born in Cincinnati, but her family soon moved to St. Louis. Her father was a house painter … Continue reading Kickass Women in History: Fannie Sellins→
This month’s Kickass Women in History doubles as a book review. Jill Heinerth is a cave diver who recently published Into the Planet: My Life as a Cave Diver. Heinerth specializes in exploring new underwater caves. She is also a writer, photographer, and filmmaker. Heinerth grew up in Canada, near Toronto. She learned to dive recreationally while working as a graphic artist. She loved diving so much that she left her lucrative business to become … Continue reading Kickass Women in History: Jill Heinerth→
This month’s Kickass Women features Zelda Jackson (Jackie) Ormes, the first Black woman to be a professional cartoonist. Her cartoon strips discussed racism and sexism as well as fashion, dating, and family. Ormes was born in Pittsburgh in 1911. Her father died when she was six and she was raised by an aunt and uncle and, later, by her mother and stepfather. She launched her professional career as a sports reporter, proofreader and freelance news … Continue reading Kickass Women in History: Jackie Ormes→
Dorothy Parker is famous for her poetry and her wit, but not so much for being kickass. In fact, her public and private persona depended on her being perceived as permanently heartbroken, a romantic and creative underdog. However, Dorothy became involved in activism as the 1920s drew to a close, and deserves to be remembered for her activism as well as her wisecracks. Dorothy was born in 1893. Her mother died when she was five, … Continue reading Kickass Women in History: Dorothy Parker→
This month in Kickass Women, we raise a glass to Dolores Huerta, the labor and civil rights leader who became nationally known for her work with the United Farm Workers in the 1960s and who continues to kick ass today. It was Dolores who coined the slogan “Si se puede,” (loosely translated as “Yes we can” or “Yes you can”) a phrase often misattributed to Cesar Chavez and later adopted by Barack Obama during his … Continue reading Kickass Women in History: Dolores Huerta→
Welcome to Kickass Women in History! This month I’m sifting through a lot of internet info trying to sort out myth from fact with regard to Tomoe Gozen, Samurai. This woman fought in the Genpei War and won fame for her feats at the Battle of Awazu in 1184 in Japan. Tomoe was born sometime around 1157 and married Minamoto no Yoshinaka. He was a general and a samurai, and he appointed Tomoe Gozen as … Continue reading Kickass Women in History: Tomoe Gozen→
