Women's History

Were the Women of Petra More Important Than Men?

The Nabataeans worshipped powerful female deities and built lavish shrines in their honor

George Richmond made this chalk portrait of Brontë when she was 34 years old.

Visit the Manuscript of 'Jane Eyre' in New York

The handwritten novel is in the United States for the first time—along with an exhibition of artifacts from Charlotte Brontë’s brief and brilliant life

An artist's representation of the Akelarre.

Visit the Site of the Biggest Witch Trial in History

Over 7,000 people were accused of witchcraft in Basque Spain

The low wages in the neighborhoods around Hull House can be seen in these maps, which illustrate income based on household. Each square shows an apartment building, and incomes are shown on the legend below. Black squares earned just $5 a week or less.

These Early Infographics Illustrated the Plight of America’s Poor

Florence Kelley used hard numbers to effect change

Melba Roy led the group of human computers who tracked the Echo satellites in the 1960s.

The True Story of "Hidden Figures," the Forgotten Women Who Helped Win the Space Race

A new book and movie document the accomplishments of NASA’s black “human computers” whose work was at the heart of the country’s greatest battles

Jackie Joyner-Kersee by Gregory Heisler, 1988

Why We Have to Play Catch-up Collecting the Portraits of Female Athletes

The Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery is setting its sights on the future

Scenes from the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics.

The Rise of the Modern Sportswoman

Women have long fought against the assumption that they are weaker than men, and the battle isn’t over yet

A few of the Olympians pose for a photo upon their return to the U.S. after the 1936 Games. In the back row, on the far right is Tidye PIckett and third from the left is Louise Stokes.

Sports History Forgot About Tidye Pickett and Louise Stokes, Two Black Olympians Who Never Got Their Shot

Thanks to the one-two punch of racism and sexism, these two women were shut out of the hero’s treatment given to other athletes

Sojourner Truth, tech pioneer.

How Sojourner Truth Used Photography to Help End Slavery

The groundbreaking orator embraced newfangled technology to make her message heard

Walmart Once Pulled a Shirt That Said “Someday a Woman Will Be President” From Its Shelves

While Hillary Clinton was living in the White House, no less

Madame President

The History of Women Presidents in Film

Why the science-fiction genre was the first to imagine a female commander-in-chief

These Anti-Suffrage Postcards Warned Against Giving Women the Vote

There are always those who resist societal change

Crowd outside the 1924 Republican National Convention in Cleveland listen to speeches broadcast from inside the hall via an early “public address system.”

Women Ruled the Floor When the GOP First Came to Cleveland

The 1924 Convention was the first to feature female delegates, and they made their presence known

Who will be the next Hamilton?

Which Great American Should Be Immortalized With the Next Big Broadway Musical?

<em>Hamilton</em> has caught the nation's attention. A panel of Smithsonian writers and curators suggest who's next.

NOW co-founder Muriel Fox says: “There’s still a need for a women’s movement. We can’t do it as individuals, each of us working for our own interests. We get much further if we work together."

The NOW Button Takes Us Back When Women's Equality Was a Novelty

At the half-century mark, for the National Organization for Women it is still personal—and political

A section of the Historic Route 66 in Seligman, Arizona.

A New Project Tells the Stories of the Women of Route 66

An oral history project with the National Park Service follows women on the iconic highway

The dueling heroines take the lead in a fight for the town’s soul.

Why Betty and Veronica Are the Real Stars of Riverdale

In a reboot of the classic Archie comics, the two female leads take charge

Smithsonian Curator on the Priceless Impact Pat Summitt Made on College Athletics

The winningest coach in NCAA Division I history left an incredible legacy

Edna O’Brien pictured in late 2013

Novelist Edna O'Brien Explores the True Nature of Evil

Celebrated for her books about love, the writer might finally win a Nobel Prize for something darker

A statue of the people present at the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention can be seen at the Women's Rights National Historical Park in Seneca Falls.

Five Things to Know About the Declaration of Sentiments

From seating to suffrage, here’s why the document is relevant today

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