488: Mary Whiton Calkins The First Woman Elected President of the American Psychological Association & the American Philosophical Association Born: 30 March 1863, Hartford, Connecticut, United States of America Died: 26 February 1930, Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States of America Mary earned her degree from Harvard but even now they refuse to grant her the degree…
“I had no real feeling about being a pioneering woman on a serious Alaskan expedition. I only knew that as the only woman, I had to measure up.” 421: Barbara Washburn Mountaineer Born: 10 November 1914, Massachusetts, United States of America Died: 25 September 2014, Lexington, Massachusetts, United States of America Barbara was the first…
415: Marie Maynard Daly Chemist Who Studied the Chemical Makeup of the Human Body Born: 16 April 1921, Queens, New York, United States of America Died: 28 October 2003, New York City, New York, United States of America Marie was the first African American woman to receive a PhD in chemistry in the United States….
“I’m now so accustomed to receiving honors, that I take them…without blushing.” 414: Caroline Herschel Astronomer and Pioneer in Celestial Cataloging Born: 16 March 1750, Hanover, Germany Died: 9 January 1848, Hanover, Germany Caroline’s major contribution to the field are the discoveries of several comets (one of which now bears her name). Her brother was…
411: Mary Agnes Chase Botanist and Social Activist Born: 29 April 1869, Iroquois County, Illinois, United States of America Died: 24 September 1963, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America Mary worked at the US Department of Agriculture and the Smithsonian Institution. For the USDA, she began working as a botanical illustrator before rising higher within…
410: Florence Bascom Geologist & the First Female Geologist to Join the US Geological Survey Born: 14 July 1862, Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States of America Died: 18 June 1945, Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States of America She joined the survey in 1896. Florence was also the second woman in the United States to receive a PhD…
409: Karen Horney Psychoanalyst Whose Theories Questioned Some Freudian Views Born: 16 September 1885, Blankenese, Hamburg, Germany Died: 4 December 1952, New York City, New York, United States of America Karen’s theories against Freudian views focused particularly on sexuality (see: penis envy). It is said that she decided to be an intellectual at the age…
407: Wang Zhenyi Astronomer and Author Born: 1768, Anhui Province, China Died: 1797, China Zhenyi was famous in her own time, during the Qing Dynasty, which broke feudal customs, especially the sources that state she taught male students. She contributed to the fields of astronomy, medicine, and poetry, all taught to her by her father…
“Indians, who are not well treated in their servitude by the Dutch, use [the peacock’s flower seeds] to abort their children so that they will not become slaves like them.” 406: Maria Sibylla Merian Entomologist, Naturalist, and Scientific Illustrator Born: 2 April 1647, Holy Roman Empire (Present-day Frankfurt am Main, Germany) Died: 13 January 1717,…
398: Gertrude Elion Pharmacologist Born: 23 January 1918, New York City, New York, United States of America Died: 21 February 1999, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America Gertrude helped create prescriptions to help treat leukemia, gout, malaria, herpes, and other diseases. Deciding to enter the field of pharmacology occurred to Gertrude after watching…