Part 1: Women's History Facts Published March 17, 2015 By 412th Comptroller Squadron EAFB EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- During March, we celebrate Women's History Month. For calendar year 2015, the theme selected by National and Department of Defense USD (P&R) is "Weaving the Stories of Women's Lives." The theme presents the opportunity to weave women's stories, individually and collectively, into the essential fabric of the nation's history. This year marks the 35th anniversary of the Women's History Movement and the National Women's History Project. In March of 1987, Congress passed a law designating March as Women's History Month. Since that time, every president has issued proclamations for Women's History Month. Accounts of the lives of individual women are critically important because they reveal exceptionally strong role models who share a more expansive vision of what a woman can do. The stories of women's lives, and the choices they made, encourage girls and young women to think larger and bolder, and give boys and men a fuller understanding of the female experience. The knowledge of women's achievements challenges stereotypes and upends social assumptions about who women are and what women can accomplish today. A few facts about women's history are below for your enrichment and understanding. Each week new facts will be identified and shared. To gain further understanding of the impact these women had in history, a link regarding the fact is provided. 1. In 2012, Janet C. Wolfenbarger became the first female four-star general in the U.S. Air Force. After receiving her fourth star, she became the Commander of Air Force Material Command. She had previously served as military deputy in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition at the Pentagon, where she oversaw research and development, testing, production, and modernization of an annual $40 billion in Air Force programs. http://archive.airforcetimes.com/article/20120328/NEWS/203280312/Wolfenbarger-confirmed-1st-female-AF-4-star 2. On March 3, 1887, six-year-old Helen Keller met her teacher Anne Sullivan. Keller had lost her hearing and sight as a result of illness when she was 19 months old. Sullivan taught Keller to communicate using touch, and spent the rest of her life as Keller's interpreter and friend. Keller graduated from college and became a famous speaker and author, advocating for race and gender equality and for people with disabilities. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/helen-keller-meets-her-miracle-worker 3. Former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright was nominated for the position by President Bill Clinton and was sworn in on January 23, 1997. At that time, she became the first female secretary of state and the highest ranking woman in the history of the U.S. government. Albright previously served as a representative to the United Nations and as a member of Clinton's cabinet and National Security Council. http://secretary.state.gov/www/albright/albright.html