These are random musings of my life journey, the people, animals, places, and events which have woven, and continue to weave, a tapestry that is me. We all know there is no real destination, only the ongoing experiences which blend together, creating the trail. Each step gives a glimpse of what is to come, without allowing me to see the end result. It is exciting. I have a home base that is mine, that gives me a place to rest. This is it. This is where my heart is, no matter where I journey...................

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Tuesday Trivia

Trivia about women for today:


Firsts in American Women's History

1647 - Margaret Brent appears before the Maryland assembly demanding that women be granted the right to vote. She is the first woman in Maryland to own property, and one of the first known suffragists in American history.

1707 - Henrietta Johnston begins to work as a portrait artist in Charles Town (now Charleston), South Carolina, making her the first known professional woman artist in
America.

1795 - Anne Parrish establishes, in Philadelphia, the House of Industry, the first charitable organization for women in America.

1830s - Mills in industrial towns such as Lowell, Massachusetts, are staffed almost entirely by young women. These “mill girls” have a kind of independence their mothers could not have imagined. They earn their own money and live together in boardinghouses. They also take part in strikes and other actions by organized labor.

1837 - Oberlin College, in Ohio, becomes the first college to admit female students. In addition to studying, the women have to do laundry and cook meals for the male students.

1853 - Antoinette Blackwell becomes the first American woman to be ordained a minister in a recognized denomination (Congregational).

Women in Congress:

249 women have been elected or appointed to the U.S. Congress. Jeannette Rankin, Republican from Montana, was the first woman elected to serve in Congress. On November 9, 1916, she was elected to the House of Representatives as Montana's Representative-at-Large to the 65th Congress; she served from 1917–1919.

214 women have served in the House of Representatives. Of these, 36 were elected to fill vacancies caused by their husbands' deaths.

Margaret Chase Smith, a Republican from Maine, holds the record for the being the first woman to serve in both houses of Congress. Originally elected in 1940 to fill the vacancy left by her dying husband, she was then elected to the Senate in 1948.

Representative Patsy Mink, a Democrat from Hawaii, was the first Asian-American woman elected to Congress, in 1965.

Edith Nourse Rogers, a Republican from Massachusetts, holds the record for the longest service by a woman in the House of Representatives. Originally elected to fill the vacancy caused by her husband's death, she served from June 25, 1925, until her death on September 10, 1960.

Shirley Chisholm, a Democrat from New York, became the first black woman in Congress when she was elected to the House in 1968.

6 comments:

  1. Very interesting trivia. Shirley Chisolm just died not too long ago.

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  2. Patti, she did, and I didn't think of that.

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  3. Just curious, what do you think of Caroline Kennedy's bid for a New York Senate seat (since of lot of the trivia here was about women in politics)?

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  4. Dave, to be honest, I haven't given it a lot of thought. I will say that sometimes there are surprises such as strengths-under-cover in people (and no, I didn't play the "experience" card with Palin, for the record; there were other reasons for my not wanting her near the White House). If CK is appointed, she is assured a position for just a short time. She would have to run for the position in 2010, and I think the people of NY will have a pretty good idea by that time of whether she fits their ideals. I have not heard about any other potential candidates for the Senate seat, so it is difficult to say yea or nay, but off hand I'd say why not? I would hope she could bring some of the grace of her mother as well as the political clout of her father's family.

    So, Dave, whadayou think?

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  5. BTW, anyone else want to voice an opinion on Dave's question? Pony up!

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  6. Well she definatly knows politcs she seems like a very private person who has never used her name to get anywhere in life. I think it would be great for New York also her family is involved in a lot of charties for disabled children so maybe some of them would get more funding and whatnot.

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If you have something to say about it, just stick out your thumb, and I'll slow down so you can hop aboard! But hang on, 'cause I'm movin' on down the road!!! No time to waste!!!