I have made it known previously that my greatest female role model is Christa McAuliffe, a New Hampshire schoolteacher chosen to be the first civilian in space, who tragically perished in the Challenger explosion on 28 January 1986. I wrote a biographical piece on Christa in April 2021. She is a constant inspiration in my … More Christa McAuliffe – A Personal Update
Christa McAuliffe, a schoolteacher from New Hampshire, was the first private citizen to be selected for space shuttle travel. The Challenger’s immediate ill fate on January 28, 1986 took Christa’s life and bright future, but her short history is that of the ideal public educator. Writer’s note: As a New Hampshirite, I grew up viewing … More Christa McAuliffe
Food history is long, complex, and often mysterious. Any chance to share little-known stories is something that I jump on. The story of Ah Bing is exactly one of those stories. Ah Bing left nothing behind; his story is only known through hearsay. But his contributions to horticulture are important to recognize, as you’ve likely … More Ah Bing
The Patent Act of 1790 allowed all people, regardless of gender, to receive patents for their inventions in the United States. It took nearly 20 years for the first woman to receive a patent: Mary Dixon Kies. Remarkably little is known about the life of Mary Dixon Kies outside of her patent. She was born … More Mary Dixon Kies
Who was the first documented person to set foot on the North Pole? History classes have likely taught you that it was Robert Peary in 1909. That, dear reader, isn’t the whole truth. His co-explorer, Matthew Henson, was alongside Peary every step of the way, and likely reached the point first. Matthew Alexander Henson was … More Matthew Henson
By reader request, I’m finishing up Women’s History Month with a feature on transgender socialite and chef Lucy Hicks Anderson! Lucy Hicks Anderson (née Lawson) was born in Waddy, Kentucky in 1886 and identified as female from a very early age. Remarkably for this time period, a physician recommended that she be raised as a … More Lucy Hicks Anderson
Vulcana: Welsh Wonder Woman. I don’t need to say more. Of course she’s a badass. Miriam Kate Williams is believed to have been born on May 6, 1874 in Abergavenny, Wales, the daughter of an Irish baptist minister and his wife, though details of her biography are somewhat foggy. However, there are several reports of … More Vulcana
Constance Markievicz was an Irish revolutionary, notably during the Easter Rising of 1916. As a suffragette, socialist, nationalist, and politician, she was one of the fiercest women in Irish history. Here’s how she went from imprisonment with a death sentence to becoming the first female cabinet minister in Europe: Author’s Note: This post was originally … More Constance Markievicz
Christine Jorgensen was the first person in the US to gain fame for having sex reassignment surgery. She used her celebrity status, despite its accompanying hardships, to advocate for the rights and acceptance of transgender people. She was born in The Bronx on May 30, 1926 to Danish-American parents. Jorgensen was aware that she identified … More Christine Jorgensen
Let’s be clear: Ida B. Wells-Barnett was a badass. And the fact that her name was never mentioned in any of my history classes (all the way through a college minor in history…) is an unbelievable disservice to her legacy. Dear reader, as far as I can help it, you will know Ida. Ida Wells … More Ida B. Wells-Barnett
At age 15, Claudette Colvin refused to give up her seat to a white person and move to the back of the bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Sounds like a familiar story, right? The thing is… Ms. Colvin took this stand nine months before Rosa Parks did. … More Claudette Colvin
Unsung Histories is a passion project dedicated to uplifting marginalized and underrepresented voices, from ancient history to modern history. This project solely focuses on telling the narrative histories of non-white, non-male, non-cisgender, and/or non-heterosexual figures. Essentially, we’re tired of hearing about straight, white men.
Back in August 2019, the wonderful Valerie Gritsch compiled Tales From Wo-Fan’s Land on her blog, History Is Important. It was a project inspired by English singer-songwriter Frank Turner and his album No Man’s Land, which features 13 songs inspired by women from history. You can take a look at Val’s introduction to the project … More Tales from Wo-Fan’s Land: Constance Markievicz
I’m starting at the beginning with this blog, with a throwback to my writing career in its infancy. I wrote film reviews for my high school newspaper, and through the power of social media I created a few interview opportunities for myself. I’ve done some revisions of this article for this blog primarily to update … More Interview with Harold Perrineau from 2013
Kay Ireland 