The Revolutionary 1965 Supreme Court Decision That Declared Sex a Private Affair
A Smithsonian curator of medicine and science looks back to the days when police could arrest couples for using contraception
In 1973, a Leak at the Supreme Court Broke News of an Imminent Ruling on Roe v. Wade
Nearly 50 years later, a similar disclosure revealed that the court is poised to overturn legalized abortion in the U.S.
The Trailblazing, Multifaceted Activism of Lawyer-Turned-Priest Pauli Murray
New documentary tells the story of a Black and LGBTQ thinker who helped lay the legal groundwork for fighting gender- and race-based discrimination
No Nobel Prizes in Science Went to Women This Year, Widening the Awards’ Gender Gap
Fewer than three percent of Nobel science winners are women, and only one woman of color has ever received the award
The Sex Education Pamphlet That Sparked a Landmark Censorship Case
Women’s rights activist Mary Ware Dennett was arrested in 1929 for mailing a booklet deemed “obscene, lewd or lascivious”
The Incredible Story of Lesbian Activists Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon
After first meeting in 1950, the couple was instrumental in founding the nation’s first organization for gay women
Chicago’s First Monument to a Black Woman Will Commemorate Activist Ida B. Wells
Sculptor Richard Hunt designed the statue, which is called ‘Light of Truth’
Britney Spears and the Age-Old History of Men Policing Women’s Trauma
The singer’s conservatorship, on trial this month, recalls the history of hysterectomies, insane asylums, forced contraception, among others
Myth and Misdiagnosis Have Plagued Women’s Health for Centuries
A new book by scholar Elinor Cleghorn details the medical mistreatment of women throughout Western history
Maya Angelou, Sally Ride to Be Among First Women Featured on U.S. Quarters
Between 2022 and 2025, the U.S. Mint is set to highlight up to 20 trailblazing American women
What Caused the Roaring Twenties? Not the End of a Pandemic (Probably)
As the U.S. anticipates a vaccinated summer, historians say measuring the impact of the 1918 influenza on the uproarious decade that followed is tricky
Take a Virtual Tour of Feminist Icon Gloria Steinem’s Historic Manhattan Apartment
In honor of her 87th birthday, the speaker and activist is (digitally) welcoming visitors into her home
A New Sculpture in Brooklyn Honors Ruth Bader Ginsburg
The statue, unveiled to coincide with Women’s History Month, is dedicated to the late Supreme Court justice
America’s Original Gangster Couple, Trailblazing Women Explorers and Other New Books to Read
These March releases elevate overlooked stories and offer insights on oft-discussed topics
The Powerful, Complicated Legacy of Betty Friedan’s ‘The Feminine Mystique’
The acclaimed reformer stoked the white, middle-class feminist movement and brought critical understanding to a “problem that had no name”
How 19th-Century Activists Ditched Corsets for One-Piece Long Underwear
Before it was embraced by men, the union suit, or ‘emancipation suit,’ was worn by women pushing for dress reform
How ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ Was Filmed at the Smithsonian
The blockbuster saw the superhero working as a museum anthropologist. But how accurate was its depiction of the Institution at the time?
What ‘Bridgerton’ Gets Wrong About Corsets
Women’s rights were severely restricted in 19th-century England, but their undergarments weren’t to blame
Twenty-Five of Our Favorite Stories From 2020
Smithsonian editors highlight some articles you might have missed from the past year
Rosa Bonheur’s Hyper-Realistic Animal Scenes Transfixed 19th-Century Europe
The Musée d’Orsay recently announced plans to dedicate a fall 2022 exhibition to the trailblazing French artist
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