American educator and zoologist Cornelia Clapp died #OTD in 1934.
Clapp was a pioneering zoology researcher and leading ichthyology scholar. Her work on the toadfish was instrumental in correcting the idea that its egg was attached by a "sucker" to the yolk stalk, as she discovered that it was instead adhered with a disc of "transparent secretion" that could be separated from the membrane.
Mary Cartwright, English mathematician & academic, one of the first people to analyze a dynamical system with chaos, was born #OTD in 1900.
Along with J. E. Littlewood, Cartwright saw many solutions to a problem which would later be seen as an example of the butterfly effect. In 1947, she was elected to be a Fellow of the Royal Society; although she was not the first woman to be elected to that Society, she was the first female mathematician.
Jean Sammet: An Accidental Computer Programmer
The IBM programming language specialist helped develop Cobol in 1959
By Amanda Davis
https://spectrum.ieee.org/jean-sammet-accidental-computer-programmer
American botanist, bryologist, and educator Elizabeth Gertrude Britton was born #OTD in 1858.
She was a co-founder of the precursor body to the American Bryological and Lichenological Society. She was an activist for the protection of wildflowers, inspiring local chapter activities and the passage of legislation. Elizabeth Britton made major contributions to the literature of mosses, publishing 170 papers in that field.
#OnThisDay, 26 Dec 1898, Marie and Pierre Curie announced their discovery of radium.
In 1903, Marie, Pierre and Henri Becquerel received the Nobel Prize for Physics for their work on radiation. Marie was the first woman to receive the award.
#WomenInHistory #OTD #WomensHistory #WomenInSTEM #NobelWomen #Histodons
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Science in Defiance of the Tsar: The Women of the 1860s
Sofia Kovalevskaia became the first woman in Europe to obtain her doctorate in mathematics—but only after leaving Russia for Germany.
By: Danny Robb
https://daily.jstor.org/science-in-defiance-of-the-tsar-the-women-of-the-1860s/
Irish astronomer Agnes Mary Clerke died #OTD in 1907.
During her career she wrote reviews of many books, including some written in French, German, Greek, or Italian. In 1885, she published her best known work, A Popular History of Astronomy during the Nineteenth Century. This book became commonly used for its discussion of the spectroscope.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnes_Mary_Clerke
Books about or by Agnes Mary Clerke at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=Agnes+Mary+Clerke&submit_search=Search
Austrian-born American actress and inventor Hedy Lamarr died #OTD in 2000.
Lamarr wanted to aid the Allied forces during World War II. She shared her concept for using “frequency hopping” with the U.S. Navy and codeveloped a patent with Antheil 1941. Today, her innovation helped make possible a wide range of wireless communications technologies, including Wi-Fi, GPS, and Bluetooth.
Below, U.S. patent 2,292,387 granted on August 11, 1942, under her legal name Hedy Kiesler Markey.
German astronomer Maria Kirch died #OTD in 1720.
She was one of the first famous astronomers of her period due to her writing on the conjunction of the sun with Saturn, Venus, and Jupiter in 1709 and 1712 respectively. Kirch observed a comet in 1702, becoming the first woman to make such a discovery. However, the discovery was officially credited to her husband, reflecting the gender biases of the time.
What Role Did Women Play in the Scientific Revolution?
The Scientific Revolution was characterized by a major shift in the way of thinking. Historically, women’s contributions, however, were largely overlooked.
By Mike Cohen
https://www.thecollector.com/role-of-women-in-scientific-revolution/
UK crystallographer, pacifist, and prison reform activist Kathleen Lonsdale was born #OTD in 1903.
She proved, in 1929, that the benzene ring is flat by using X-ray diffraction methods to elucidate the structure of hexamethylbenzene. She was the first to use Fourier spectral methods while solving the structure of hexachlorobenzene in 1931.
Danish seismologist and geophysicist Inge Lehmann died #OTD in 1993.
She is best known for her discovery in 1936 of the solid inner core that exists within the molten outer core of the Earth. The seismic discontinuity in the speed of seismic waves at depths between 190 and 250 km is named the Lehmann discontinuity after her. Lehmann is considered to be a pioneer among women and scientists in seismology research.
Katherine Johnson died #OTD in 2020.
Her work included calculating trajectories, launch windows, and emergency return paths for Project Mercury spaceflights, including those for astronauts Alan Shepard and John Glenn, and rendezvous paths for the Apollo Lunar Module and command module on flights to the Moon. Her calculations were also essential to the beginning of the Space Shuttle program, and she worked on plans for a mission to Mars.
American physician Sara Josephine Baker died #OTD in 1945.
In 1917, she noted that babies born in the United States faced a higher mortality rate than soldiers fighting in World War I, drawing a great deal of attention to her cause. She also is known for (twice) tracking down Mary Mallon, better known as Typhoid Mary.
Elizabeth Blackwell was born #OTD in 1821.
Her inaugural thesis on typhoid fever, published in 1849 in the Buffalo Medical Journal and Monthly Review was the first medical article published by a female student from the United States. She founded the New York Infirmary for Women and Children with her sister Emily Blackwell in 1857, and began giving lectures to female audiences on the importance of educating girls.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Blackwell
American philosopher and psychologist Mary Whiton Calkins died #OTD in 1930.
Calkins' work informed theory and research of memory, dreams and the self. In 1903, Calkins was the twelfth in a listing of fifty psychologists with the most merit, chosen by her peers. Calkins was refused a Ph.D. by Harvard University because of her gender.
8 women botanical artists from across Europe
Making contributions to both art and science
by Aleksandra Strzelichowska (from the archives) via @europeana
https://www.europeana.eu/en/stories/8-women-botanical-artists-from-across-europe
Mary Douglas Leakey was born #OTD in 1913.
She discovered the 1st fossilised Proconsul skull, an extinct ape which is now believed to be ancestral to humans. She discovered the robust Zinjanthropus skull at Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania. She developed a system for classifying the stone tools found at Olduvai. She discovered the Laetoli footprints, and at the Laetoli site she discovered hominin fossils that were more than 3.75 million years old.
How Noether’s Theorem Revolutionized Physics
Emmy Noether showed that fundamental physical laws are just a consequence of simple symmetries. A century later, her insights continue to shape physics.
By Shalma Wegsman
https://www.quantamagazine.org/how-noethers-theorem-revolutionized-physics-20250207/
More information about Noether's theorem:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noether%27s_theorem
The female explorers who braved the wilderness but were overlooked by the history books
By Sarah Lonsdale
Books by Mina Benson Hubbard at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/1422
Celebrating Women’s History Month
Celebrate Women’s History Month with JSTOR Daily. We hope you’ll find the stories below a valuable resource for classroom or leisure reading.
By: The Editors
"My methods are really methods of working and thinking; this is why they have crept in everywhere anonymously."
Happy Birthday Emmy Noether!!
She made many important contributions to abstract algebra. She proved Noether's 1st and 2nd theorems, which are fundamental in mathematical physics. She developed theories of rings, fields, & algebras. In physics, Noether's theorem explains the connection between symmetry & conservation laws.
Years After the Early Death of a Math Genius, Her Ideas Gain New Life
A new proof extends the work of the late Maryam Mirzakhani, cementing her legacy as a pioneer of alien mathematical realms.
By Kristina Armitage
American mathematician and aerospace engineer Mary Jackson died #OTD in 2005.
She worked at Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, for most of her career. She started as a computer engineer at the segregated West Area Computing division in 1951. In 1958, after taking engineering classes, she became NASA's first black female engineer.
Seeing dark matter in the Andromeda galaxy
By Vera Rubin, from the archives, via @physicstoday
This is a story of why and how Kent Ford and I studied the orbital velocities of stars in the Andromeda galaxy 40 years ago. Our study was influential in the later conclusion that most of the matter in the universe is dark.
https://pubs.aip.org/physicstoday/article/59/12/8/387114/Seeing-dark-matter-in-the-Andromeda-galaxy
![Portrait of Emmy Noether, around 1900.
Unknown author Publisher: Mathematical Association of America [3], Brooklyn Museum [4], Agnes Scott College [5], [6] - Emmy Noether (1882-1935), Archived
The photograph shows Noether as a poised young woman, reflecting the academic environment of the era. Dressed in period attire typical of the late 19th to early 20th century, she appears composed and introspective, a visual contrast to the intellectual revolution she would later ignite in mathematics.](/proxy/post_attachment/656703/c37623fa20.jpg "Portrait of Emmy Noether, around 1900.
Unknown author Publisher: Mathematical Association of America [3], Brooklyn Museum [4], Agnes Scott College [5], [6] - Emmy Noether (1882-1935), Archived
The photograph shows Noether as a poised young woman, reflecting the academic environment of the era. Dressed in period attire typical of the late 19th to early 20th century, she appears composed and introspective, a visual contrast to the intellectual revolution she would later ignite in mathematics.")
