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How well do you know women's history?
Tuesday, March 09, 1999
March is Women's History Month. How many of these questions can you answer correctly about women in U.S. history?
1). Official Olympics rules in 1932 let her compete in only three track events. She won gold medals for setting records in two of them, and a silver in the third. Who was she?
2). At age 37, she became a national recording star acknowledged as the "Mother of the Blues." She toured African-American vaudeville theaters for several years, becoming a major influence on show business and the blues. Her name?
3). She was so involved in women's 75-year effort for voting rights that the Congressional Amendment granting women the ballot was named for her. That's also why she was pictured on our one-dollar coin. Now, what was her name?
4. The Vietnam War memorial in Washington, D.C., is the most frequently visited monument in our capital city. Who was responsible for its unusual design?
5. Lewis and Clark's expedition would not have reached the Pacific Ocean without the help of this Shoshone teen-ager, who carried her baby boy the entire way. Do you remember her name?
6. At a time when ladies weren't supposed to sweat, she dressed young girls in bloomers and organized them into troops for physical activities and campouts. Millions of young women have since followed her lead. Who was this audacious woman?
7. In the early days of aviation, pilots had to rely on what they saw on the ground to guide them to their destinations. Who painted 16,000 aerial markers on building rooftops across the North American continent?
8. For 15 years her young fans have known her as "Maria who lives on Sesame Street." She's won seven Emmy awards for this role. What's her real-life name?
9. Hearing she might be sold, she fled slavery for freedom in the North. But she returned South 19 times, conducting over 300 people to safety via the Underground Railroad. Who was this gutsy woman?
10. With 27 published books, she almost singlehandedly created the genre of Japanese-American literature for children. Who is she?
11. Whose line of specialized beauty products at the turn of the century made her America's first black woman millionaire?
12. The dense, solid-black ceramic pots by "The Potter of San Ildefonson" are instantly recognizable in museums around the world. Who was this exceptional artist?
13. On March 4, 1933, a woman first became a member of a U.S. president's cabinet. Who was she and what was her post?
14. Since African-Americans could not attend flight schools in America, she learned French, went to France for licensing, and returned home a barnstormer. Who is this woman wearing an aviator's helmet on our postage stamps?
15. How did Rachel Carson (1907-1964) come to be known as the mother of the environmental movement?
ANSWERS:
1. "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias (1914-1956). Later, when golf became her favorite sport, "Babe" won 17 consecutive amateur golf tournaments and helped found the Ladies' Professional Golf Association.
2. Gertrude Pridgett (1886-1939), who was popularly known as Ma Rainey.
3. Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906) led to a multi-faceted crusade for women's rights for over 50 years.
4. Maya Lin (b. 1959) was still a student when she won the competition over 14,000 other entries.
5. Sacajawea (c. 1789-c. 1812), whose quick thinking and knowledge of Native American languages saved the day on many occasions.
6. Juliette Gordon Low (1860-1927) founded the Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. in 1912.
7. The Ninety-Nines, the organization of women pilots founded in 1931 by Amelia Earhart (1897-1937).
8. Sonia Manzano (b. 1950) has written about Latino culture and life experiences for the children's television program, even involving her young daughter in some of its episodes.
9. Harriet Tubman (c.1820-1913), widely hailed as "Moses" by her people and sought after by bounty hunters for the $40,000 ransom on her head.
10. Yoshiko Uchida (1921-1992), whose best-known books are "Journey to Topaz" and "Journey Home."
11. Madame C.J. Walker (1867-1919) began developing a line of hair-care products in 1906, and organized 20,000 black women nationwide to sell them.
12. Maria Martinez (1887-1980) is the potter who re-created the lost art of "black-on-black" glazing of New Mexico's Tewa people.
13. Frances Perkins was the Secretary of Labor for 12 years straight. During her tenure, Social Security and unemployment insurance were instituted.
14. Bessie Coleman (1893-1926) was a pioneering stunt pilot. Until her untimely death, she raised money toward opening an American school for black fliers.
15. Her book, "Silent Spring," touched off an international controversy in the 1960s about the effects of pesticides on the environment, but became the foundation for our current ecological awareness.
Source: The National Women's History Project
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