Five Influential Women Ignored by Your History Books
Sat, 7 Sep 2024
Awards such as the Stevie Award for Women in Business, the L'Oréal-UNESCO Award for Women in Science, and The Ann MacLean Award for Outstanding Service by a Woman in Municipal Politics show what modern women are doing in the world and give young girls role models. These women are celebrated for their accomplishments. They push the boundaries of what it means to be a successful woman far beyond the historic chef-maid-childminder combination found in earlier decades.
However, the women of the past were not given this treatment. While some of their names are well-known, such as Marie Curie or Amelia Earheart, others are abandoned by history. They had all the courage and pluck of a modern woman but were left out of the history books for one reason or another. It's time to give five of these forgotten women the spotlight they deserve.
Elsie Knott was born Elsie Taylor on the Curve Lake First Nation. In this southern Ontario reserve, she had a knack for leading people in her community, and people around her often came to her for advice. Though she only received a grade eight education, she recognized the importance of formal education and learning from others. She ran for the position of chief when the Government of Canada ruled native women were allowed to sit on band council. She was elected in 1954 and held the post for ten years. While raising three children, Knott used her guidance to help her community grow and prosper.
Margaret Hamilton was born in Paoli, Indiana. Her interest in mathematics led her to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1960. There, she learned to develop software to search for enemy aircraft and predict weather patterns. The people working on the Apollo 11 space mission noticed her talents and recruited her to help them program the rocket's navigation equipment. She worked efficiently and was eventually promoted to lead designer. Her work stopped the mission from ending in tragedy, as she had accounted for errors that might occur during the landing process. Since then, Hamilton has started two software companies and came up with the idea to apply engineering principles to design, develop, test, and maintain software and came up with the corresponding term "software engineering."
Claudette Colvin was born in Montgomery, Alabama. She aspired to change the world from a young age, declaring she wanted to be president when she was only in high school. As a female African-American, she was involved in her local NAACP Youth Council and was interested in the civil rights movement. On the bus home from school, she and pregnant African-American Ruth Hamilton refused to stand in the colored section of the bus. Though Hamilton eventually moved, Colvin stood her ground. She was arrested for disobedience eight months before Rosa Parks did the same. Colvin and other women testified that segregation on buses was unconstitutional. Despite the government overturning the law in 1956, she was considered rude and moved to New York, where she lived peacefully as an aide in a nursing home.
Nana Asama'u was born in Sokoto Caliphate to the Sultan of Sokoto. She believed Allah wanted her to learn and began studying religion, classical works, and linguistics. By the end of her formal education, she spoke four languages and could recite the Quran by memory. She was a strong supporter of universal education. She created a group of female teachers, known as jajis, to teach women in their homes. The women quickly took to learning and were taught poetry and religion. Amasa'u's many published works are still translated for the modern English speaker, meaning anyone can enjoy the lessons taught by a princess over a century ago.
Natalia Peshkova was drafted into World War II at the age of 17. Though her nursing training was effective, her combat training left her ill-equipped to deal with the realities of war. She was often left hungry and uncomfortable while on the front lines. She treated soldiers who suffered anything from bullet wounds to lice, even when she had a fractured temple bone and damage to the base of her skull. When separated from her troops, she disguised herself to go through enemy lines and reunite with them. Her determination and survival skills earned her the Order of the Red Star and helped her gain political power in the Soviet Union.
These women, with their resilience and determination, shattered glass ceilings and transformed their communities for the better. Their stories, though often overlooked, continue to inspire and empower women today. Just as these women set a precedent for future generations, today's women are showing young girls the boundless possibilities that await them.