Smithsonian American Women's History Museum | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/blog/smithsonian-american-womens-history-museum/RSS feed for Smithsonian American Women's History MuseumenTue, 18 Aug 2026 14:24:15 +0000Meet Three Research Assistants Who Traced Women's Stories From State Fairs to the Smithsonian Institutionhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/smithsonian-american-womens-history-museum/2026/08/18/meet-three-research-assistants-who-traced-womens-stories-from-state-fairs-to-the-smithsonian-institution/Three research assistants spent years scouring archives, interviewing artists and conducting historical research to uncover women’s stories from state fairs. Their discoveries are now on display in the Smithsonian’s Renwick GalleryTue, 18 Aug 2026 14:24:15 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/smithsonian-american-womens-history-museum/2026/08/18/meet-three-research-assistants-who-traced-womens-stories-from-state-fairs-to-the-smithsonian-institution/Discover the Story of Gertrude Ederle, an Olympic Gold Medalist and World Record Setter Who Made Waves as the First Woman to Successfully Swim the English Channelhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/smithsonian-american-womens-history-museum/2026/08/05/discover-the-story-of-gertrude-ederle-an-olympic-gold-medalist-and-world-record-setter-who-made-waves-as-the-first-woman-to-successfully-swim-the-english-channel/After a failed 1925 attempt and a year of training, Gertrude Ederle became the first woman to swim the English Channel in 1926—beating the record by nearly two hours and establishing herself as a trailblazer in swimmingWed, 05 Aug 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/smithsonian-american-womens-history-museum/2026/08/05/discover-the-story-of-gertrude-ederle-an-olympic-gold-medalist-and-world-record-setter-who-made-waves-as-the-first-woman-to-successfully-swim-the-english-channel/She Walked Over 200 Miles in the Snow to Feed a Starving Army. The Oneida Nation Has Remembered Polly Cooper for 250 Yearshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/smithsonian-american-womens-history-museum/2026/07/20/she-walked-over-200-miles-in-the-snow-to-feed-a-starving-army-the-oneida-nation-has-remembered-polly-cooper-for-250-years/As one of America's first allies, the Oneida Nation sent 47 warriors to Valley Forge in 1778. Among them was a woman named Polly Cooper, whose skill, generosity and knowledge of white corn kept Washington's soldiers aliveMon, 20 Jul 2026 17:11:26 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/smithsonian-american-womens-history-museum/2026/07/20/she-walked-over-200-miles-in-the-snow-to-feed-a-starving-army-the-oneida-nation-has-remembered-polly-cooper-for-250-years/Elizebeth Smith Friedman Was the U.S. Government's First Woman Codebreaker. She Cracked Nazi Secrets, Saved 8,000 Lives and Pioneered Modern Cryptographyhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/smithsonian-american-womens-history-museum/2026/07/13/meet-elizebeth-smith-friedman-the-us-governments-first-woman-codebreaker-she-cracked-nazi-codes-saved-8000-lives-and-pioneered-modern-codebreaking/For decades, Elizebeth Smith Friedman worked in near-total secrecy, cracking codes that shaped the outcome of two world wars. Recently declassified, the full extent of her story is still coming to lightMon, 13 Jul 2026 15:32:08 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/smithsonian-american-womens-history-museum/2026/07/13/meet-elizebeth-smith-friedman-the-us-governments-first-woman-codebreaker-she-cracked-nazi-codes-saved-8000-lives-and-pioneered-modern-codebreaking/Meet Julia Ward Howe, the Remarkable Poet Who Wrote the ‘Battle Hymn of the Republic’ and Fought for Women's Suffragehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/smithsonian-american-womens-history-museum/2026/07/06/meet-julia-ward-howe-the-remarkable-poet-who-wrote-the-battle-hymn-of-the-republic-and-fought-for-womens-suffrage/The poet, philosopher and suffragist wrote a rallying cry in 1861 that would resonate for more than a century—echoing through the Civil Rights Movement and beyond.Mon, 06 Jul 2026 14:25:42 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/smithsonian-american-womens-history-museum/2026/07/06/meet-julia-ward-howe-the-remarkable-poet-who-wrote-the-battle-hymn-of-the-republic-and-fought-for-womens-suffrage/Excluded at the March on Washington, Dorothy Height Went on to Become the ‘Godmother of the Civil Rights Movement.’ See How She Built a Movement with Women at the Center.https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/smithsonian-american-womens-history-museum/2026/06/29/excluded-at-the-march-on-washington-dorothy-height-went-on-to-become-the-godmother-of-the-civil-rights-movement-see-how-she-built-a-movement-with-women-at-the-center/As one of the only women planning the March on Washington, Dorothy Height organized the logistics, mobilized the crowds, and was never given the microphone. What she built in response helped shape the modern women's movement.Mon, 29 Jun 2026 13:43:11 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/smithsonian-american-womens-history-museum/2026/06/29/excluded-at-the-march-on-washington-dorothy-height-went-on-to-become-the-godmother-of-the-civil-rights-movement-see-how-she-built-a-movement-with-women-at-the-center/