They Were Brilliant; They Were Ingenious; They Were Courageous and They Were WOMEN!
In honor of Women’s History Month, let’s celebrate those who made great strides in the name of equality, those whose achievements made life better for all humankind, and those who accomplishments are often under-recognized.
Since we live in a Twitter world, here are a few little-known tweet-worthy examples:
- Marie Curie is the only person who has ever received two Nobel Prizes in two different science categories.
- Geraldyn “Jerrie” Cobb was the first woman to pass qualifying exams for astronaut training in 1959. Despite her outstanding scores, she wasn’t allowed to go to space because of her gender.
- The windshield wiper was invented in 1903 by Mary Anderson.
- Susan Kare developed most of the interface elements for Apple Macintosh.
- After only being offered “pretty blonde” roles, Marilyn Monroe took things in her own hands and established Marilyn Monroe Productions in 1955. She was only the third woman ever to start a production company in the U.S.
- In 1872, Victoria Woodhull became the first woman to run for President. Four years earlier, she and her sister had also become the first female Wall Street brokers in 1868.
- The two highest IQs ever recorded, through standardized testing, both belong to women.
- Roberta Gibb was the first woman to run and finish the Boston Marathon in 1966. Of course, she didn’t get official credit for it, as women were not allowed to enter the race until 1972.
- Virne “Jackie” Mitchell, a pitcher, was the first woman in professional baseball. During an exhibition game, she struck out both Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.
- In 1777, sixteen-year-old Sybil Ludington raced through the night to warn New York patriots that the British were attacking nearby Danbury, CT, where munitions and supplies for the entire region were stored during the heat of the Revolutionary War.
- The first female member of a president’s cabinet was Frances Perkins, Secretary of Labor under FDR.
- In 1809, Mary Dixon Kies received the first U.S. patent issued to a woman for inventing a process for weaving straw with silk or thread. Before then, most women inventors didn’t bother to patent their new inventions because they couldn’t legally own property independent of their husbands
And, living in Las Vegas, it’s only right to focus on several notable women who helped shape the city. Here are just a few.
Florence-Jones-Murphy was the first woman in Nevada to receive her commercial pilot’s license in 1944. When she and her husband partnered with Edmund Converse to establish Bonanza Air, Murphy became the only female airline vice president in the country. She piloted runs between Las Vegas and Reno.
Helen J. Stewart was a successful rancher and businesswoman in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Known as “The First Lady of Las Vegas” she faced an uncertain future when her husband was killed in a gun fight in 1884. Yet she and her children were sitting on valuable ranch land located just north of today’s Neon Museum. With astute business instincts, Stewart began accumulating land in what is now Clark County. She eventually sold her ranch to the San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad, making way for the beginning of Las Vegas as we know it today. The Neon Museum, which is one of the many things to do in Las Vegas off the Strip, honors her with the inclusion of the Golden Nugget “1905” sign.
The Neon Museum celebrates Betty Willis who designed the Moulin Rouge sign and the iconic “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign, the most photographed sign in the city. Sarann Knight-Preddy, the first African American woman to receive a gaming license in Nevada, owned the Moulin Rouge for many years. The Moulin Rouge sign was recently restored and is today one of the most iconic at the Museum. And Teddy Jane Binion, wife of infamous Benny Binion, stepped in to run Binion’s Horseshoe while Benny was in jail for tax evasion. The Binion’s Horseshoe sign, also on display at The Neon Museum, is from the famous family-led business and one of the six restored Neon Museum signs found on Las Vegas Boulevard between Sahara and Washington, a designated National Scenic Byway.
Las Vegas’ colorful history is chock full of women who only recently are taking their rightful place as pioneers who made this city great. Juhl and One Las Vegas condominiums celebrate them this month and every month!
