Women's History

Women in foraging societies may have been just as skillful hunters as men were, but researchers have historically dismissed their hunting contributions.

Early Women Were Hunters, Not Just Gatherers, Study Suggests

Regardless of maternal status, women hunted in almost 80 percent of recent and present-day foraging societies in a new study

Sunrise near the Willa Cather Memorial Prairie. Cather “made the outside world know Nebraska as no one else has done,” Sinclair Lewis once said.

Explore the World of Willa Cather in Her Nebraska Hometown

Maybe the author of “O Pioneers!” is no longer the height of literary chic. But a century later she’s still a superstar in her small prairie community

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How an 1800s Midwife Solved a Poisonous Mystery

For decades before Doctor Anna’s discovery, “milk sickness” terrorized the Midwest, killing thousands of Americans on the frontier

An illustration of Anthony Comstock, published in Puck magazine in 1906

The 150-Year-Old Comstock Act Could Transform the Abortion Debate

Once considered a relic of moral panics past, the 1873 law criminalized sending "obscene, lewd or lascivious" materials through the mail

Rosalind Franklin's work was vital to the discovery of the structure of DNA, but her role went largely unrecognized at the time. 

New Musical Spotlights Rosalind Franklin's DNA Discoveries

"Double Helix," a fictionalized account of Franklin's groundbreaking work, premieres this week

Tina Turner performing in Illinois in 1987

Tina Turner, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll, Left an Indelible Mark on Music History

The barrier-breaking singer, who died this week at 83, influenced countless musicians who followed in her footsteps

Barbie’s first swimsuit, in 1959, was a stylish, zebra-striped one-piece.

A Cultural History of Barbie

Loved and loathed, the toy stirs fresh controversy at age 64

Edna Lewis gathers ingredients in the garden behind Ellerslie Plantation west of Charlottesville, Virginia, 1975.

What Made Edna Lewis the Mother of Soul Food

The Virginia-born chef did more than anyone to elevate Southern food to haute cuisine

Sarah Bernhardt as Cleopatra in 1891

Why Actress Sarah Bernhardt Was the First Modern Celebrity

An exhibition in Paris revisits the life of the 19th-century thespian, who used the press to promote herself and eagerly capitalized on her fame

A view of Philadelphia's historic Chinatown

These Are America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places

The National Trust for Historic Preservation's annual list spotlights cultural sites facing a range of threats

Willie Nelson is among the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's 2023 honorees.

Missy Elliott, Willie Nelson, Kate Bush and More Join the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

In recent years, the organization has been widening the definition of the genre

Georgina Schuyler’s campaign to include Emma Lazarus’ poem on the statue was a retort to nativism.

The Woman Who Saved the Statue of Liberty

Georgina Schuyler campaigned for Emma Lazarus' "The New Colossus" to be inscribed on a plaque in the monument's pedestal

Deeply interested in the natural world, Potter would carefully collect and draw specimens.

Beatrix Potter Was a Keen Observer of the Natural World

Famous for "Peter Rabbit," the children's author was also a devoted scientist and conservationist

A view of the Coretta Scott King Peace and Meditation Garden and Monument on April 27, which would have been the civil rights leader's 96th birthday

Monument to Coretta Scott King Unveiled in Atlanta

Located at the King Center, the new memorial honors a legacy that's often overlooked

Rosalind Franklin's work with X-ray imaging played an important part in the discovery of DNA's structure.

What We're Still Learning About Rosalind Franklin’s Unheralded Brilliance

Using new historical evidence, two scientists argue the female chemist was more involved in discovering DNA's structure than she got credit for

Tillie Black Bear accepts congratulations from President Bill Clinton after receiving the Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award in December 2000.

Tillie Black Bear Was the Grandmother of the Anti-Domestic Violence Movement

The Lakota advocate helped thousands of domestic abuse survivors, Native and non-Native alike

Helen Gibson once remarked, “I certainly do get angry when I hear someone say, ‘I bet she didn’t do that herself.’”

Hollywood's First Professional Stuntwoman Jumped From Planes and Swung Onto Trains

Dubbed "the most daring actress in pictures," Helen Gibson rose to fame in the 1910s

Cher, Elton John and Diana Ross at Rock Awards Santa Monica Civic Auditorium (1975)

London Museum Celebrates the Diva—From Marilyn Monroe to Lizzo

An upcoming exhibition will explore how the label has been applied to performers throughout history

Mary Quant at her apartment in Draycott Place, London, c. 1967

Fashion World Remembers Mary Quant, the Miniskirt Pioneer

Quant captured London's "Swinging Sixties" with her cutting-edge designs

The bow of the Vasa displayed at the Vasa Museum in Stockholm

Who Was the Woman Aboard This Famed 17th-Century Swedish Warship?

DNA analysis has revealed that a woman was among the 30 who died when the 'Vasa' sank on its maiden voyage

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