Special Report

Women Who Shaped History

The Smithsonian's American Women’s History Initiative is a comprehensive undertaking that documents, researches, collects, displays and shares the rich and compelling story of women in the United States. In celebration of the AWHI, Smithsonian magazine has collected representative examples of its coverage of diverse women throughout American history.

Amelia Earhart (left) and Eleanor Roosevelt (right) National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of George R. Rinhart, in memory of Joan Rinhart

On the morning of September 11, 2001 when the Twin Towers in New York City came under attack Univision's senior national correspondent Blanca Rosa Vílchez was one of the first journalists on the scene.

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

Seven Trailblazing Latina Journalists Anchor a New Museum Exhibition

Shawn Michael Warren's oil-on-linen portrait of Oprah Winfrey depicts the talk show host in a resplendent purple dress.

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

What the Color Purple Means to Oprah Winfrey

Between Christmas Day in 1941 and April 1, 1946, North Platte Canteen volunteers met as many as 24 trains carrying 3,000 to 5,000 military personnel every day.

How the Women of the North Platte Canteen Fed Six Million Soldiers During World War II

A selection of outfits designed by women on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

New Met Exhibition Celebrates Women Fashion Designers

<em>Sandra Day O'Connor</em>, Michael Arthur Worden Evans, circa 1982

How Sandra Day O’Connor Brought Compromise to the Supreme Court

L to R: Abby Ryder Fortson, Amari Price, Elle Graham and Katherine Kupferer in the film adaptation of <em>Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret</em>

How Judy Blume Redefined Girlhood

At the Smithsonian

Barbie has held more than 250 jobs since her debut in 1959.

When Barbie Broke the Glass Ceiling

A vintage promotional photograph commissioned and approved by Redfeather around 1915 is now held in the collections of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

The Forgotten History of Tsianina Redfeather, the Beloved American Indian Opera Singer

Briana A. Thomas

Carol Burnett's charwoman costume from her award-winning variety show (above in 1973) is now held in the collections of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

Carol Burnett Reveals How She Came to Create the Charwoman

At the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, the story of the Watergate whistleblower Martha Mitchell (detail, oil on canvas, Jan De Ruth, 1970) from Pine Bluff, Arkansas—who pundits dubbed the "Mouth of the South"—is revisited in a new exhibition, "Watergate: Portraiture and Intrigue."

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

Martha Mitchell Was the Brash 'Mouth of the South' That Roared

Kellie B. Gormly

They Shaped Culture

Maternal Caress, Mary Cassatt, 1896

Mary Cassatt's Paintings Take Women's Labor Seriously

War correspondent Martha Gellhorn (left) and her first husband, Ernest Hemingway, in 1940

Martha Gellhorn Was The Only Woman to Report on the D-Day Landings From the Ground

Rania Matar, Farah, 2020

This Woman-Led Photography Exhibition Showcases the Diversity of Middle Eastern Femininity

Julia Binswanger

Wig Shoes, Chunxiao Qu, 2017

These Artworks Explore the Cultural Significance of Hair

Julia Binswanger

Women in STEM

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

Teresa Nowakowski

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

The Space Launch System rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, early Wednesday morning, kicking off NASA's Artemis moon program.

NASA Launches Artemis 1 in Giant Leap Toward Returning to the Moon

Carlyn Kranking

It’s shocking how many everyday inventions we use without acknowledging the inventors that helped bring them to us.

Five Women Inventors You Didn't Learn About in History Class

Carmen Borca-Carrillo

Future of Women's History

Preet Chandi trains in Chamonix before starting her journey across Antarctica.

‘Polar Preet’ Sets Out to Become the First Woman to Cross Antarctica Solo and Unsupported

Margaret Osborne

Between March 19 and April 17, 1964, Geraldine "Jerrie" Mock (above: at the start of her journey at Ohio's Port Columbus Airport) flew her single-engine Cessna 180, dubbed "Charlie," solo around the globe setting a world record.

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

Who Was the First Woman to Fly Solo Around the World?

President Biden announced his pick to fill the US Supreme Court vacancy on Friday: Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson.

What to Know About Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's Historic Nomination to the Supreme Court