Part 2: Women's History Facts

  • Published
  • By 412th Comptroller Squadron
  • EAFB
As we continue to celebrate Women's History Month, a few more facts about women's history for your enrichment. To gain further understanding of the impact these women had in history, a link regarding the fact is provided.

1.  In 1918, Opha Mae Johnson became the first woman to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps. At that time, approximately 305 women joined the Marines to perform jobs vacated by male Marines who left to fight in World War I. Female Marines could not be promoted above the rank of sergeant and performed jobs within the United States.

http://marines.dodlive.mil/2014/04/08/the-evolving-role-of-women-in-the-corps/

2.  Clara Barton, a nurse and suffragist, is best known for organizing the American Red Cross. During the Civil War, Barton worked to organize efforts to distribute food and medical supplies to the troops and worked treating the injured on the front lines. After the war, she pushed for America to recognize the International Committee of the Red Cross. In 1881, when the American Red Cross was founded, Barton became its president. She remained dedicated to relief work until her death.

http://www.history.com/topics/womens-history/clara-barton

3.  Deborah Sampson was born in 1760. At 21 years old, she became the first American woman to serve in combat by enlisting in the Continental Army under the name Robert Shurtleff during the Revolutionary War. She kept her gender hidden by tending to her own battle wounds, but she was discovered when she was hospitalized for a fever. In 1783, she was discharged from the Army. Sampson later received a pension when a court found that she had performed a soldier's duties.

http://www.holloman.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123197316

4.  Susan B. Anthony was born in 1820 into a Quaker family who considered women and men equal. Anthony spent her life working for equality and promoted temperance and the abolition of slavery. She is best known as a leader in the Women's Suffrage Movement. Anthony was a member of the Equal Rights Association and a founder of the National Woman Suffrage Association. In 1872, Anthony was arrested and convicted for voting. She fought for women's equality until she died in 1906.

https://www.nwhm.org/education-resources/biography/biographies/susan-brownell-anthony/

5.  Nellie Tayloe Ross became the 14th Governor of Wyoming and the first female governor in the United States in 1925. Ross was elected to replace her husband, who died while he was the governor. In 1869, Wyoming had been the first state to grant women the right to vote, and many in Wyoming wanted their state to be the first governed by a woman. In 1933, Ross was appointed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as the first female director of the U.S. Mint, a position she held until 1953.

http://www.uwyo.edu/lawlib/libraryinfo/displaycase/nellietayloeross.html