Women's History

Central Park Has 22 Statues of Historical Figures. Every Single One is a Man.

Could a crusade to bring historic women into the park change the face of the city?

Dorothy Arzner (left) poses with Clara Bow in a publicity shot for The Wild Party.

Why Was One of Hollywood's First Female Film Directors, Dorothy Arzner, Forgotten?

Arzner directed 20 feature films

This Film Shows a Glimpse of Amelia Earhart Before Her Final Flight

After 70 years in storage, the footage shows the pilot posing for press photographs

Starting New York Giants catcher John Tortes "Chief" Meyers in an unspecified game against the female team in 1913.

Amateur Women's Baseball Teams Existed as Early as 1866

They typically challenged local a men’s teams to play

The washable knitwear c. 1950s suit by Claire McCardell resides in the collections of the National Museum of American History.

What a 1950s Fashion Maven Might Teach Us About What To Wear

When it was time to suit up for work, politics or social engagements, Claire McCardell's fans embraced her chic, but comfortable style

"The Legal Justice League" celebrates the first four women to sit on the country's highest court.

Celebrating the Women of the Supreme Court With LEGOs

What better way to hail the female trailblazers of the bench than miniaturizing them into tiny toys?

During the Civil War, a canal ran along what we now know of as the Mall

Meet the Madam on the Mall

Mary Ann Hall ran a successful brothel in D.C. for years, but it took a 1997 dig to tell the whole story

Haenyeo from South Korea's Jeju island

South Korea’s 'Women of the Sea’ Have Free Dived For Abalone Since the 17th Century

Diving supported life on the wind-scoured, rocky island of Jeju

A stack of faux fur "pelts."

The History of Faux Fur

For more than 100 years, the fine line between finks and minks has been blurred

Elizabeth Blackwell was a pioneer of women in medicine.

The First Woman in America to Receive an M.D. Was Admitted to Med School as a Joke

When the students at Geneva Medical College voted in jest to admit a woman, they unwittingly paved the way for Elizabeth Blackwell’s trailblazing career

Hattie Wyatt Caraway on November 6, 1942.

On This Day in 1932, America Elected Its First Female Senator

This year, a record number of women are serving in Congress; Hattie Wyatt Caraway was the first ever in the Senate

Did this piece of debris come from Amelia Earhart's plane? Some think so; others disagree.

Aircraft Hunters Think They’ve Found a Scrap of Amelia Earhart’s Plane

This isn't the first time a seemingly game-changing piece of evidence about Earhart's disappearance has arisen, however

General Robinson, right, is handed the Pacific Air Forces flag during a ceremony yesterday.

General Lori Robinson Takes Charge of the Pacific as Air Force’s First Female Major Command Leader

Robinson joins the short list of female four-star generals

Whether or not a woman's health insurance will cover the emergency pill now depends in some cases on her employer's religious beliefs

American Law Has Never Been Comfortable With Birth Control

Americans might support and use birth control, but the Hobby Lobby decision did not

Women Fought in the Civil War Disguised As Men (And So Do Today's Re-enactors)

Some women dressed up as their husbands, or even fought alongside them

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"The Hatpin Peril" Terrorized Men Who Couldn't Handle the 20th-Century Woman

To protect themselves from unwanted advances, city women protected themselves with some sharp accessories

Janet Yellen Is Holding Her First Meeting as Chairwoman of the Federal Reserve

Less than 10 percent of central bank governors around the world are women

Quick, wash off the arsenic before it melts your skin!

To Get Rid of Body Hair, Renaissance Women Made Lotions of Arsenic, Cat Dung And Vinegar

"When the skin feels hot, wash quickly with hot water so the flesh doesn’t come off"

The original man cave.

Paris Is Adding Two More Women to the Pantheon (New Total: Three)

Since its construction, the mausoleum has been filled with 73 bodies. Only one of them is a woman.

This handbag from around 1300 in Mosul, Iraq is on display at the Courtauld Gallery in London until May 18, 2014.

This 700-Year-Old Purse From Iraq Is Remarkably Intact

Handbags have been popular for millennia, but usually we don't find them all in one piece.

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