Five Ways Pope Francis, Religious Leader Who Pushed to Modernize the Catholic Church, Was a Man of Firsts
The pontiff, who died on Easter Monday at age 88, strived to make the church more inclusive. But critics believed his reforms either went too far or not far enough
![“As the first national women’s reform organization, [the American Female Moral Reform Society] showed that there was power in women organizing to address societal problems,” says rhetorician Lisa J. Shaver.](https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/m4Hxjpo4QedMhxQhApdcZazQOw4=/450x300/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/6c/8d/6c8ddf41-d605-4dc6-86cd-5f77e85ae822/interior-of-a-concert-saloon.jpg)
The Daring 19th-Century Reformers Who Sought to End Prostitution by Offering Financial and Emotional Support to Urban Sex Workers
Led entirely by women, the American Female Moral Reform Society gave material aid to those in need and pushed for men to be held accountable for frequenting brothels
Armed With Just a Badge, Los Angeles’ First Policewoman Protected the City’s Most Vulnerable in the Early 20th Century
Appointed in 1910, Alice Stebbins Wells patrolled dance halls, skating rinks, penny arcades and movie theaters, keeping these public spaces free of vice and immorality
The Talented and Valiant Female Surgeon Who Joined Allied Forces in WWII and Broke Barriers Along the Way
Prohibited from serving with the U.S. Army as a medical officer, Barbara Stimson was commissioned by the British—and helped open the American military to female doctors
What Happened When British Women Voted in a General Election for the First Time
The enfranchisement of property-owning women over 30 on this day in 1918 came at a time of great strife within political parties in post-World War I Britain
A Woman Appeared on the English Stage for the First Time on This Day in 1660, Transforming the World of Theater Forever
Despite this historic first, the identity of the first professional English actress on stage remains a theatrical mystery
The Feminist Who Inspired the Witches of Oz
The untold story of suffragist Matilda Gage, the woman behind the curtain whose life story captivated her son-in-law L. Frank Baum as he wrote his classic novel
When Susan B. Anthony and 14 Other Women Were Arrested for Voting Illegally in a Presidential Election
After her detainment on this day in 1872, Anthony was found guilty by a federal court. She refused to pay her “unjust” $100 fine
![Medieval women’s lives were “more vibrant than people expect,” says lead curator Eleanor Jackson, “and [visitors] will be surprised by the sheer variety of roles” that they occupied in the fields of politics, religion and the arts.](https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/2NPqh-qxttl7xzrvlDT0LrJKmMs=/450x300/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/5a/f9/5af9fe6d-db74-4a76-9c5a-6be01eb636d1/lead-image.jpg)
These Rare Artifacts Tell Medieval Women’s Stories in Their Own Words
A new exhibition at the British Library explores the public, private and spiritual lives of such figures as Joan of Arc, Christine de Pizan and Hildegard of Bingen
When a Trailblazing Suffragist and a Crusading Prosecutor Teamed Up to Expose an Election Conspiracy
An unlikely duo exposed political corruption in Terre Haute, Indiana, in 1914—and set a new precedent for fair voting across the country
How All-Female ‘Juries of Matrons’ Shaped Legal History
Courts called on these jurors to determine whether women sentenced to death were pregnant or faking it to avoid execution
What the Broadway Musical ‘Suffs’ Gets Right (and Wrong) About the History of Women’s Suffrage
The new show serves as an entertaining history lesson, but even that has its creative limits
Five Programs Paving the Way for Gender Equality Worldwide
Around the globe, teams of women are taking on traditionally male-dominated roles
The All-Woman Secret Society That Paved the Way for Modern Feminism
Based in Greenwich Village, Heterodoxy had just one requirement for membership: An applicant must “not be orthodox in her opinion”
The Forgotten Sisters Behind ‘Happy Birthday to You’
Mildred and Patty Hill wrote the popular song’s melody, but their contributions to American culture have long been overlooked
What Is the Dominant Emotion in 400 Years of Women’s Diaries?
A new anthology identifies frustration as a recurring theme in journals written between 1599 and 2015
How to Separate Fact From Myth in the Extraordinary Story of Sojourner Truth
Two historians tell us why the pioneering 19th-century feminist, suffragist and abolitionist’s legacy has so frequently been misrepresented
The Remarkable Untold Story of Sojourner Truth
Feminist. Preacher. Abolitionist. Civil rights pioneer. Now the full story of the American icon’s life and faith is finally coming to light
The Sensation Novelist Who Exposed the Plight of Victorian Women
Wilkie Collins drew on his legal training to dramatize the inequality caused by outdated laws regarding marital and property rights
How Sandra Day O’Connor Brought Compromise to the Supreme Court
The first woman justice to serve on the nation’s highest court died on Friday at age 93
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