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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
Jalyn Hall (left) as Emmett Till and Danielle Deadwyler (right) as Mamie Till-Mobley in <em>Till</em>, a new movie directed by Chinonye Chukwu

HISTORY

How Emmett Till's Mother Galvanized the Civil Rights Movement

Medical student Anna Searcy in 1897

HISTORY

These Trailblazers Were the Only Women in the Room Where It Happened

Singer-songwriter Loretta Lynn was applauded—and sometimes banned—for her daring songs about women's lives. 

SMART NEWS

Country Legend Loretta Lynn Braved Controversy to Tell the Truth About Women's Experiences

Attorney Gloria Allred (left) and Norma McCorvey (right), the anonymous plaintiff in <em>Roe v. Wade</em>, during a pro-choice rally in Burbank, California, on July 4, 1989

SMART NEWS

Who Was Norma McCorvey, the Woman Behind Roe v. Wade?

Nicole Mann poses for a portrait in a T-38 trainer jet at Ellington Field in Houston, Texas, in 2018.

SMART NEWS

Nicole Mann Becomes the First Native American Woman in Space

Ada Limón is the United States' 24th poet laureate.

ARTS & CULTURE

Ada Limón Is a Poet Laureate for the 21st Century

At the Smithsonian

A western-style performance outfit worn by Patsy Cline and sewed by her mother. The suit features record-shaped patches stitched with the titles of some of Cline&#39;s records.


&nbsp;

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

When Patsy Cline Broke Through as a Country Music Phenom

Amanda Petrusich

This Bushnell telescope allowed Sally Ride to gaze at her favorite constellation, Orion, and envision her future as an astronaut.&nbsp;

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

How the Smithsonian Is Honoring Remarkable American Women

Lonnie G. Bunch III

In the 2010 Winter Olympics Games in Vancouver, the&nbsp;USA&#39;s Hannah Teter (above: in action during the women&#39;s snowboard halfpipe competition) took home silver. Her boots are now in the collections of the Smithsonian&#39;s National Museum of American History.

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

Meet the Trailblazers in Women’s Olympic Snowboarding

Alicia Ault

&ldquo;Bessie Coleman (above: with her Curtiss JN-4 &quot;Jennie&quot; in her custom designed flying suit, ca. 1924) was a real gutsy woman for the era,&rdquo; says&nbsp;Dorothy Cochrane, a curator at the Smithsonian&rsquo;s National Air and Space Museum. &quot;Anyone else might have quit at any time.&rdquo;

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

For Pilot Bessie Coleman, Every 'No' Got Her Closer to 'Yes'

David Kindy

They Shaped Culture

Dora Maar or Lee Miller, Dora Maar sur fond végétal, circa 1936

HISTORY

The Strange Surrealist Magic of Dora Maar

Elizabeth Djinis

Joan Didion sitting in her wicker chair in 2003. The chair is one of the writer&#39;s many belongings being auctioned on November 16.

SMART NEWS

You Could Own Joan Didion's Sunglasses, Sofas and Shawls

Ella Feldman

&ldquo;This homage is a call for action to support the current revolution in Iran, led by brave Iranian women risking their lives to stand up against oppression to overthrow a longtime authoritarian regime,&rdquo; the&nbsp;Anonymous Artist Collective for Iran says.

SMART NEWS

Iranian Artists Stage Anonymous Protest at the Guggenheim Museum

Ella Feldman

The Misses Porter (as they were sometimes called) arguably created the modern historical novel, weaving fascinating, romantic tales out of facts and events culled from history books.

HISTORY

The Forgotten Sisters Who Pioneered the Historical Novel

Devoney Looser

Women in STEM

This Bushnell telescope allowed Sally Ride to gaze at her favorite constellation, Orion, and envision her future as an astronaut.&nbsp;

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

How the Smithsonian Is Honoring Remarkable American Women

Lonnie G. Bunch III

This seven-foot statue of Pearl Kendrick, center, and Grace Eldering, left, was unveiled in Grand Rapids in 2019. Lab assistant Loney Clinton stands to the right with a microscope.

SCIENCE

The Unsung Heroes Who Ended a Deadly Plague

By Richard Conniff
Photographs by Lisa Spindler

The life-size exhibit presents an inclusive vision of women excelling in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).

SMART NEWS

Smithsonian Honors Female Scientists With 120 Bright Orange Statues

Corryn Wetzel

&quot;American Girl (above: the new doll Evette Peters) was seeking to emphasize to its young audience the importance of being able to envision themselves as part of the larger American story,&quot; writes the Smithsonian&#39;s Katrina Lashley. &quot;And that vision requires more accessible histories, as well as role models in civic engagement.&quot;

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

Why This American Girl Doll Inspires Environmental Activism

Katrina Lashley

Future of Women's History

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

SMART NEWS

‘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 &quot;Jerrie&quot; Mock (above: at the start of her journey at Ohio&#39;s Port Columbus Airport) flew her single-engine Cessna 180, dubbed &quot;Charlie,&quot; solo around the globe setting a world record.

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

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

Lucia Cheng

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

SMART NEWS

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

Nora McGreevy

#BecauseOfHerStory

Introducing the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative

Stories From the Collections

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

When Cleopatra Died Again


AT THE SMITHSONIAN

Businesswoman Madam C. J. Walker Started a Hair Care Empire


AT THE SMITHSONIAN

Works of Pioneering Photographer Constance Stuart Larrabee to Be Digitized


AT THE SMITHSONIAN

The Multiple Truths in the Works of the Enslaved Poet Phillis Wheatley


AT THE SMITHSONIAN

Civil Rights Icon Renée Richards' Wooden Tennis Racket


AT THE SMITHSONIAN

Meet Lena Richard, the Celebrity Chef Who Broke Barriers in the Jim Crow South


AT THE SMITHSONIAN

A Rare, 19th-Century Silhouette of a Same-Sex Couple Living Together


AT THE SMITHSONIAN

The Youngest of the Little Rock Nine Speaks About Holding on to History


AT THE SMITHSONIAN

Mementos Tell The Story of The Ace Aviatrix Who Inspired Amelia Earhart


AT THE SMITHSONIAN

The Unknown Designer of the First Home Pregnancy Test Is Finally Getting Her Due


AT THE SMITHSONIAN

Dian Fossey’s Gorilla Skulls Are a Symbol of Her Fight


AT THE SMITHSONIAN

The First Jogbra Was Made by Sewing Together Two Men’s Athletic Supporters


AT THE SMITHSONIAN

Luisa Moreno Was Expelled From the U.S. for Her Labor Activism


AT THE SMITHSONIAN

What Made Lucretia Mott One of the Fiercest Opponents of Slavery and Sexism

Videos

This French Woman Risked Her Life to Document Nazi Theft


How Rosa Parks' Protest Sparked a Momentous Chain of Events

Education

HISTORY

Resources From Around the Smithsonian and Beyond

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