Margaret Abbott: The First Female Olympic Champion

America's first female Olympic champion Margaret Ives Abbott
Margaret Ives Abbott was a 1900 Olympic champion — but didn’t know it.

How do you win an Olympics event without even knowing it? That’s the story of this Wednesday’s Woman — Margaret Ives Abbott (1878-1955), America’s first female Olympic champion. She played in and won the women’s nine-hole golf tournament at the 1900 Paris Games. Her prize? A gilded porcelain tournament bowl that she never knew was an Olympic honor. Continue reading “Margaret Abbott: The First Female Olympic Champion”

Grace Hopper: The Navy Math Whiz Who Helped Design the First Computer

Grace Hopper, U.S. Navy Engineer and female scientist and inventor.
Grace Hopper was an early pioneer of computer technology and helped develop the COBOL programming system.

This Wednesday’s Woman is “Amazing Grace.” Grace Hopper was determined to join the U.S. Navy in the midst of World War II. But the 37-year-old associate professor  just barely squeaked in under the Navy’s cutoff age By 1943 Hopper had earned a Ph.D. in math from Yale and was teaching at Vassar. Continue reading “Grace Hopper: The Navy Math Whiz Who Helped Design the First Computer”

Lillian Moller Gilbreth: Psychologist, Engineer, Famous Inventor and Mother of 12

Lillian Gillbreth, GE engineer and famous female inventor
Lillian Moller Gilbreth was the first woman elected into the National Academy of Engineering.

Next time you reach into the fridge or use your electric can opener, thank today’s Wednesday Woman: Lillian Moller Gilbreth (1878-1972). An industrial psychologist, engineer and mother of 12, she was dubbed the original superwoman and described as a genius in the art of living. Continue reading “Lillian Moller Gilbreth: Psychologist, Engineer, Famous Inventor and Mother of 12”

Lotta Crabtree, California Gold Rush Show Girl and Millionaire

Cigar-smoking Lotta Crabtree, known as Miss Lotta, was an entertainer during the gold rush.
Lotta Crabtree was one of America’s wealthiest, most beloved entertainers of the late 1800s.

A day late and a dollar short, this week’s Wednesday Woman is Lotta Crabtree. Born Charlotte Mignon Crabtree, she was one of America’s wealthiest, most beloved entertainers of the late 1800s who lived along Lake Hopatcong, NJ, in her later years. Continue reading “Lotta Crabtree, California Gold Rush Show Girl and Millionaire”

Janet Collins, First Black Prima Ballerina to Dance at NYC’s Metropolitan Opera House

Janet Collins, first African American ballerina to dance at NYC's Metropolitan Opera House
Janet Collins (1917-2003) was a dancer, choreographer, teacher and black prima ballerina.

Janet Collins (1917-2003) was a dancer, choreographer, teacher and the first black prima ballerina to dance at NYC’s Metropolitan Opera House. She is one of America’s most famous female African American dancers. Continue reading “Janet Collins, First Black Prima Ballerina to Dance at NYC’s Metropolitan Opera House”