In 1978, the Education Task Force of the Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women in California, began a “Women’s History Week” celebration. The week was chosen to coincide with International Women’s Day, which was first celebrated March 8, 1911, in Europe.
Three years later, the United States Congress passed a resolution establishing National Women’s History Week, which was expanded to a month in 1987 at the request of the National Women’s History Project . Every year since then the U.S. Congress has issued a resolution for Women’s History Month. Gather your daughters (and sons!) around the computer and explore these kid-tested, parent-approved Web sites that will help celebrate the month with knowledge and fun.
Women’s History Month
www.galegroup.com/free_resources/whm/ — Thomson Gale has assembled a collection of activities and information to complement classroom topics. Within this site, parents, teachers and students can read biographies of significant women throughout time, take a quiz based on women and their achievements, follow a timeline of significant events in women’s history, enjoy activities to celebrate women’s history Information and activities for Women’s History Month. Look for interesting biographies and fun activities.
7000 Important Women Artists – 9th to 19th Centuries
http://www.uwrf.edu/history/women.html — Prepare for an amazing, well-constructed site that profiles 700 women artists with examples of their works. Users can click on names arranged chronologically from prehistoric to the present. There’s also a well-done separate section for 20th century artists. This is an excellent site for young artists-in-the-making.
American Women in Uniform—Veterans Too!
http://userpages.aug.com/captbarb/index.html —Did you know that there are almost two million women veterans? From the American Revolution to Panama, Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq , women have served in some way in every conflict. Not that they were legal in the early days. History tells us that thirty three thousand women served in World War One and almost 500,000 took part in World War Two. During the Korean era 120,000 women were in uniform and seven thousand were deployed in theater during Viet Nam. During Desert Storm seven per cent of the total U.S. forces deployed were women - over forty thousand of them. On these pages you will find the history and accomplishments of those women who have served this country - voluntarily - since its beginning. The site includes a very large amount of information (with some opinions included).
Vote for Women Suffrage Photos, 1850-1920
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/vfwhtml/vfwhome.html — The Library of Congress has extensive and varied resources related to the campaign for woman suffrage in the United States. This selection of 38 pictures includes portraits of many individuals who have been frequently requested from the holdings of the Prints and Photographs Division and the Manuscript Division. Also featured are photographs of suffrage parades, picketing suffragists, and an anti-suffrage display, as well as cartoons commenting on the movement—all evoking the visible and visual way in which the debate over women’s suffrage was carried out. This online illustrated reference aid is a pictorial partner for the text documents in “Votes for Women: Selections from the National American Woman Suffrage Collection, 1848-1920.”
Creative Quotations from Creative Women
http://famouscreativewomen.com — FamousCreativeWomen.com celebrates the remarkable contributions of women who have resourcefully, passionately and creatively shaped our world. This Web site includes inspirational quotations and biographical information for more than 800 famous creative women. May their achievements and these quotations be an inspiration to all.
The Women’s Liberation Movement
http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/wlm — The materials in this on-line archival collection document various aspects of the Women’s Liberation Movement in the United States, and focus specifically on the radical origins of this movement during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Items range from radical theoretical writings to humorous plays to the minutes of an actual grassroots group. The items in this on-line collection are scanned and transcribed from original documents held in Duke University’s Special Collections Library, and is a super site for older children.
Female Nobel Prize Laureates
http://www.almaz.com/nobel/women.html— In 1903, only two years after the Nobel Foundation was established, a Nobel Prize was awarded to a woman, Marie Curie, for the first time. Women have been winning Nobel Prizes ever since. In fact, one woman, Bertha von Suttner was influential in convincing Alfred Nobel to establish a Prize for Peace. Women have won Prizes in all categories with the exception of Economics (which was established in 1968 and first awarded in 1969. Look for fascinating biographies of women who have won the Nobel Prize, including a variety of helpful links.
Laura Ingalls Wilder—Frontier Girl
http://webpages.marshall.edu/~irby1/laura/frames.html — This page was created for Laura’s readers who wish to learn more about Laura and her books. Here, users can find information about Laura’s “little houses” and her friends and family who were made famous in her “Little House” books. Fans can also listen to the songs played on Pa’s fiddle, and see pictures of the places the Ingalls and Wilder families lived. The site also has a special section where children can have fun while learning about Laura, including trivia, puzzles, help with school reports and more.
National Museum of Women in the Arts
http://www.nmwa.org – This Web site is devoted to the museum dedicated to women in the arts. It features online exhibits of women artists from the Renaissance to the late 20th century with biographical sketches for some. The exhibit is arranged chronologically, and features a fascinating, extensive video tour.
Women of NASA
http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/women/intro.html — This resource was developed to encourage more young women to pursue careers in math, science, and technology. Throughout history, women have made valuable contributions to these fields. Although these disciplines are still dominated by men, and these women are seen as exceptions, there is a growing appreciation of cultural and gender diversity in the workplace. The Women of NASA interactive project showcases outstanding women who are enjoying successful careers and demonstrates how these women balance personal and professional responsibilities.
The Adventures of Josie True-An Online Computer Game for Girls
http://www.josietrue.com –The site features a hip National Science Foundation-sponsored adventure game for girls, created by Mary Flanagan. The game’s hero is a Chinese-American girl named Josie True, who becomes involved in intrigue across time and space as she tries to find her inventor-turned-teacher, Ms. Trombone. The electronically sophisticated game is probably best enjoyed on a very fast Internet connection. The site also includes articles about girls and computer games and an account of updates to the game.
Kathleen E. Conroy is a freelance writer based in Charlotte, N.C.
