... that more than any other recent pop star, Madonna has used
MTV and
music videos to establish her popularity and to enhance her recorded work? (2009-12-28)
... that Swede Anna Jansson started a successful career as a
crime writer in 2000 after working twenty years as a nurse? (2009-12-28)
... that after a short career in films, Elaine Shepard was a journalist in
Vietnam? (2009-12-22)
... that in
England until the early 20th century, a man wishing to separate from his wife could lead her to market by a
halter and sell her(process pictured) to the highest bidder? (2009-12-21)
... that the most expensive dress owned by Maria Augusta, Duchess of Württemberg was worth 500 florins, more than 30 times a servant's annual income? (2009-12-15)
... that in her teen years, actress Lillebil Ibsen played leading roles in
Max Reinhardt's pantomime productions? (2009-12-13)
... that unlike her predecessors, the Empress Regnant Lý Chiêu Hoàng was not worshipped in
Lý Bát Đế Shrine because of her responsibility in the collapse of
Lý Dynasty? (2009-12-09)
... that Shraddha Jadhav, who was recently elected as the
Mayor of Mumbai and chief of India's richest municipal body, is known for her "elegant dressing"? (2009-12-08)
... that actress
Jessalyn Gilsig hoped viewers would warm to her Glee character
Terri Schuester after the episode "
Mattress", having previously experienced a fan backlash? (2009-12-08)
... that playwright Marisa Wegrzyn dealt with poor reviews by "being sulky and brooding and riding the subway a lot"? (2009-12-08)
... that the song "Speechless", by
Lady Gaga, was written as a plea to her father to receive the open-heart surgery he needed for a bad
aortic valve? (2009-12-02)
... that Laura Kirkpatrick placed second in the reality show America's Next Top Model in 2009, but was ranked fan favorite in a poll conducted by the show? (2009-12-02)
... that U.S.
birth control advocate Dr. Bessie Moses gave up her practice as an
obstetrician because she became emotionally attached to the outcome of every birth she attended? (2009-12-02)
... that
Scottish news presenter Mary Marquis continued to work while seven months pregnant in 1963, including one interview conducted on a roof? (2009-11-29)
... that the Nefertiti bust(pictured) was reinstated in
Neues Museum in 2009 after 70 years away, including a period in a salt mine in
World War II? (2009-11-28)
... that less than two years after Julia Goss thought she failed her audition, she became the principal soprano of the
D'Oyly Carte Opera Company? (2009-11-27)
... that Nicole Fox, who won first place in the reality show America's Next Top Model in 2009, is nicknamed "Bloody Eyeball"? (2009-11-26)
... that stand-up comedian and actress Retta said her role on Parks and Recreation is stressful because she was initially unsure the show would last due to poor reviews? (2009-11-23)
... that Lalla Carlsen is regarded as one of the most legendary female revue artists in Norway? (2009-11-22)
... that
Michael Jackson blamed his record label,
Sony Music, for the failed release of his charity song "What More Can I Give", and branded the label's CEO "racist" and "very, very, very devilish"? (2009-11-18)
... that the assumption of modern historians that Elisabeth of Greater Poland is a daughter of
Elisabeth of Hungary, due to lack of medieval sources, is based on them sharing the same name and coming from
Hungary? (2009-11-18)
... that Bokken Lasson established the cabaret Chat Noir in Oslo, Norway, in 1912? (2009-11-17)
... that Makerita Urale, a leading figure in contemporary
Polynesian theatre, directed the play Frangipani Perfume, the first Pacific play written by a woman for an all-female cast? (2009-11-15)
... that the
Colombian actress and beauty queen Liliana Lozano was shot to death two days after the murder of her boyfriend, the drug lord
Leonidas Vargas? (2009-11-15)
... that bandmates of Beverley O'Sullivan, recently killed in
India, found out the true extent of her hearing difficulties when she developed a sore ear during a
Westlife performance? (2009-11-15)
... that cricketer Audrey Jackson was only able to play in the fourth
women's Test for
South Africa after securing travel to the game with the opposition
England side? (2009-11-15)
... that singer-songwriter Maria Dunn hosted a folk music radio show for twelve years before becoming a performer herself? (2009-11-14)
... that the popular Chinese TV talent show contestant Lou Jing, dubbed the "Black Pearl", is of Chinese and
African American heritage? (2009-11-14)
... that after
George III was attacked with an ivory-handled dessert knife by Margaret Nicholson, the number of men guarding him was increased from 4 to 11? (2009-11-12)
... that Ree Drummond'sConfessions of a Pioneer Woman, the 2009
Bloggies "Weblog of the Year", is known for its "How to Cook a Steak" tutorial with photos in "ridiculous detail"? (2009-11-09)
... that according to
Hindu mythology, Ila was cursed to change his/her gender every month? (2009-11-09)
... that female
karatekaYıldız Aras holds more World, European, and Mediterranean Games champion titles than any other
Turkish sportsperson? (2009-11-08)
... that "Kaboom", an episode of
NBC's Parks and Recreation, featured the real-life charity
KaBOOM! as part of a multi-network television campaign to spotlight volunteerism? (2009-11-05)
... that contraception expert Dr. Sheldon Segal led the team that developed the implantable device
Norplant, described as "the first significant advance in birth control since the
pill"? (2009-10-29)
... that Canadian singer Térez Montcalm's debut album, Risque, saw her nominated for five
Félix Awards in 1995? (2009-10-27)
... that when
SwedeAnna Bågenholm got trapped under a layer of ice in a river for eighty minutes, her body temperature decreased to 13.7 °C (56.7 °F) — the lowest survived body temperature ever recorded in a human? (2009-10-27)
... that teenage singer
Faryl Smith's upcoming album Wonderland features a digitally produced duet with
Luciano Pavarotti, who died in 2007? (2009-10-25)
... that Nancy Wexler, who discovered the location of the gene that causes
Huntington's disease and created a genetic test for it, is herself at risk as the daughter of a sufferer? (2009-10-24)
... that
Katie Piper, a former model who was
burnt by acid in an attack arranged by her ex-boyfriend, had her face removed and rebuilt in a single operation, which was the first of its kind? (2009-10-24)
... that while the rest of
India worships the
Hindu wealth-goddess
Lakshmi,
Bengalis venerate the fearsome goddess
Kali (pictured) today on Kali Puja? (2009-10-17)
... that Peg Mullen's change into an antiwar activist after her son's death in
Vietnam by shrapnel fired from U.S. artillery, became the
Emmy Award-winning 1979 film Friendly Fire starring
Carol Burnett? (2009-10-15)
... that some historians believe that Edith Rogers was left out of the
Albertacabinet in 1935 because she was a woman? (2009-10-14)
... that patient activist Rose Kushner is credited with helping to end the practice of treating
breast cancer by performing both a
biopsy and a
mastectomy as a one-step surgical procedure? (2009-10-13)
... that Maria Gulovich sheltered Jews, worked for the anti-fascist underground, and was awarded the
Bronze Star for saving the lives of
OSS agents during
World War II? (2009-10-11)
... that Lee Robins "pioneered the field of
psychiatric epidemiology" and "played a key role in determining the prevalence of mental problems in the United States and the world"? (2009-10-11)
... that
Indigenous Australian artist and illustrator Bronwyn Bancroft was the first Australian fashion designer invited to show her work in Paris? (2009-10-11)
... that Mimi Weddell, whose acting career started in her mid-1960s, was named as one "The Most Beautiful
New Yorkers" by New York magazine in 2005 at age 90? (2009-10-09)
... that Isaac Baker Brown was an English
surgeon who in 1867 was expelled from the Obstetrical Society of London for performing
clitoridectomies without his patients' consent? (2009-10-08)
... that
English author Selina Davenport, in an attempt to support herself and her two daughters after separating from her husband, ran both a coffee house and a dance school? (2009-10-07)
... that English actress Maxine Audley was married four times? (2009-10-07)
... that
silent film star Clara Williams(pictured), known for her "forty famous frocks", appeared in more than 100 films between 1910 and 1918? (2009-10-06)
... that
Emmy Award-winning director Dearbhla Walsh described one scene in Talk to Me where a teacher commits
adultery with her 15-year-old pupil as "not so much about
sex as about love"? (2009-09-30)
... that as of 2009, Liz Shuler is the first woman and youngest person to hold the position of
AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer, and the highest-ranking woman in the
labor federation's history? (2009-09-27)
... that the series Svenska Hollywoodfruar follows Swedish women living a glamorous lifestyle in the
Hollywood-area with rich American husbands? (2009-09-19)
... that Countess Mariya Volkonskaya(pictured) renounced her rights, titles and possessions to follow her husband in
Siberian exile? (2009-09-19)
... that Nan Vernon provided the end credit music of both of Rob Zombie's Halloween films and has been noted for being part of the "
singer-songwriter trend" of women nurturing
folk music's rebirth? (2009-09-13)
... that Josefin Crafoord originally declined an offer to appear on the Swedish version of Dancing on Ice because she did not know how to
skate? (2009-09-13)
... that in 1885, over 10,000 mourners attended the funeral of
EnglishmaidservantAlice Ayres(pictured)? (2009-09-05)
... that ex-professional
tennis player Claire Curran competed for both
Ireland and
Great Britain in the
Fed Cup and accumulated a win–loss record of 20–7 in Fed Cup matches over the course of her career? (2009-08-31)
... that Emma Nutt became the world's first female telephone operator when she started working for the Boston Telephone Despatch company in 1878? (2009-08-27)
... that Freeheld is an Academy Award-winning documentary by Cynthia Wade that follows a
New Jersey detective fighting for the right to pass on her pension to her female
domestic partner? (2009-08-24)
... that
New YorkerMarcey Jacobson had planned to visit
Chiapas for 10 days in 1956, but ended up staying there for most of the next 50 years, taking 14,000 photos of daily life in Southern Mexico? (2009-08-21)
... that while running for the presidential nomination in 2008,
Hillary Clinton credited political advisor and lobbyist Anne Wexler with providing her first job in politics? (2009-08-19)
... that on his wife
Nancy's birthday,
Ronald Reagan would send flowers to his mother-in-law, Edith Luckett Davis, to thank her for giving birth to Nancy? (2009-08-16)
... that Wilma Scott Heide grew
NOW to 50,000 members and an annual budget of $750,000 during her four-year term as president, having taken office in 1971 with 3,000 members and spending of $28,000? (2009-08-09)
... that Canadian Sandy Hott´s result in 2005 was the highest placement ever at the
World Orienteering Championships by a competitor from the North American continent? (2009-08-09)
... that Jasmin Ouschan(pictured), who was born in 1986 and won her first European Championship in 1999, is a nineteen-time European
billiards champion? (2009-08-09)
... that the English poet Mary Jones, called "the Chantress" by
Samuel Johnson, did not consider publishing her efforts until pushed to do so by her friends? (2009-08-07)
... that the single "Hot" by
Romanian singer Inna was posted on
YouTube and reached 2 million views in under one year? (2009-08-04)
... that while working as a children's entertainer in the 1980s, actress Fay Ripley was set up as a jewellery thief in an
insurance fraud attempt? (2009-08-04)
... that
Ziegfield GirlSusan Fleming found
Harpo Marx, despite his non-speaking film persona, to be "a warm, fun, darling man to talk to", and they married in 1936 after she had proposed to him three times? (2009-07-30)
... that Frances Fuller Victor, an influential writer of history and fiction, was initially uncredited for her major contributions to historian
Hubert Howe Bancroft's monumental work, The History of the West? (2009-07-19)
... that in 1958, female
professional wrestlersKay Noble, Lorraine Johnson,
Penny Banner, and Laura Martinez were charged with inciting a riot when they began fighting outside of the
ring, but pleaded not guilty in court? (2009-07-09)
... that pioneering
lesbian journalist Edith Eyde only assumed the pseudonym Lisa Ben after editors of the lesbian magazine The Ladder rejected her first choice, "Ima Spinster"? (2009-06-29)
... that in
Albanian folklore, the zana, mountain
fairies revered for their beauty and courage, are said to have watched approvingly over Albanian protests against the 1878
Treaty of San Stefano? (2009-06-26)
... that
theoretical biologistMary Jane West-Eberhard says that she learnt more about science at high school from her English course on critical reading and writing than from her biology class? (2009-06-19)
... that
paleontologistGerta Keller theorizes that dinosaurs did not become extinct until 300,000 years after the
Chicxulub meteor, though she agrees that "I'm sure the day after, they had a headache"? (2009-06-18)
... that actress Charlene McKenna was pleased that her full-frontal
nude scene in the television series Raw attracted few complaints? (2009-06-17)
... that Anna Goldfeder, a pioneering researcher in the fields of
radiology and
cancer treatment, worked as a research scientist in an abandoned building for two years before she secured enough grant money to move her laboratory? (2009-06-08)
... that after facing 2009 All-American
softballpitcherNikki Nemitz's fastball, a sports writer for the Detroit Free Press wrote that he "actually felt a breeze" and his "knees buckled"? (2009-06-06)
... that actress Kate Cutler walked out of the lead role in
Noël Coward's The Vortex a week before it opened in 1924? (2009-05-31)
... that as a student,
mathematicianAudrey Terras was steered into
math away from her other choice,
history, by a post-
Sputnik program that paid students to study mathematics? (2009-05-31)
... that in 1875 actress Kate Bishop created the role of Violet Melrose in Our Boys, which was by far the longest-running work of theatre up to that time? (2009-05-28)
... that Elsie B. Washington was called the "mother of the
African-Americanromance" for her 1980 novel, considered the first to feature African American characters by an African American author? (2009-05-22)
... that while still in college, children's author Eloise Greenfield realized that she was too shy to be a teacher and dropped out to work at the
U.S. Patent Office? (2009-05-22)
... that Fatma Aliye Topuz, whose portrait illustrates the reverse of the current 50
Turkish lira banknote, is credited as the first female
Turkish and
Muslim writer? (2009-05-05)
... that the history of the underwire bra(patent pictured) dates back to 1893 when Marie Tucek patented a "breast supporter" that used a metal or cardboard support under the breasts? (2009-05-01)
... that Peggy Stuart Coolidge was the first American composer to have a concert devoted entirely to her works presented in the
Soviet Union? (2009-04-25)
... that during their long, discreet affair,
Arthur Sullivan recorded the number of his intimate acts with socialite Fanny Ronalds(pictured) in his diary? (2009-04-25)
... that the
Honduran romance novel Blanca Olmedo is a rare early female criticism of the establishment and corruption in Honduras? (2009-04-25)
... that Dr. Jo Riley explored
Chineseexorcism and ancient animation rites at the tomb, to better document actor performance (example pictured) in
Chinese theatre? (2009-04-23)
... that Johanne Dybwad´s acting career spanned sixty years, from 1887 to 1947? (2009-04-21)
... that actress
Sela Ward was not initially interested in playing Stacy Warner on
FOX's House, but changed her mind after watching tapes of the show? (2009-04-19)
... that philanthropist Dorothy Cullman and her husband, Lewis Cullman, donated over $250 million in support of
the arts,
science, and
education? (2009-04-19)
... that Minori Kimura made her professional
manga artist debut at the age of 14 in the 1964 Spring Special issue of Ribon, a magazine published in
Japan by
Shueisha? (2009-04-10)
... that the poet, novelist and children's author Karin Bang is a passionate collector of ancient
dolls? (2009-04-06)
... that according to the
magico-medical text Cyranides, miscarriages caused by female demons such as Gello can be prevented by wearing an aetite as an
amulet? (2009-04-06)
... that Ebba Haslund'sadolescence novelNothing Happened was virtually ignored by the press when it was first issued in
Norwegian in 1948, but was later regarded as one of her most important books? (2009-03-31)
... that
Grammy-nominated
CCM musician Ayiesha Woods was the first female to receive a "Producer of the Year" award at the Gospel Music Marlin Awards? (2009-03-31)
... that
pianistMona Golabek wrote a book about her mother's experience as part of the
Kindertransport, a mission to rescue children threatened by the
Nazis? (2009-03-29)
... that Leslie George Katz founded the Eakins Press, which printed a number of books by his wife Jane Mayhall, using funds from the sale of several
Thomas Eakins paintings that Katz's father had secretly collected? (2009-03-29)
... that when Dorothea Holt Redmond was hired in 1938 in the "heretofore exclusively male field" of film
production design, male co-workers demanded that she work in an area separated from them? (2009-03-27)
... that in the first eight years after Harvard Girl was published in
mainland China, the number of Chinese applicants to
Harvard increased tenfold? (2009-03-25)
... that the "Golden Ticket" episode of the U.S. version of The Office was watched by 7.7 million viewers, tying with Grey's Anatomy for number one among the broadcast networks in adults 18–34? (2009-03-24)
... that when Barbara Parker left a law career to take a master's, her thesis went on to be
short listed for an
Edgar Award as a best first mystery novel? (2009-03-15)
... that early sources suggested that
Moses had taken an Ethiopian wife named Tharbis after laying siege to her city, prior to his ascendancy to
prophethood in the Jewish faith? (2009-03-13)
... that Rhena Schweitzer,
Albert Schweitzer's only child, married David C. Miller, a doctor who cared for her father, and the couple traveled around the world offering aid to victims of famine and war? (2009-03-11)
... that Jane Sterk joined the
Green Party of British Columbia after witnessing environmental degradation in Mexico and became its leader six years later? (2009-03-11)
... that Nonnie Moore, a woman who had been fashion editor at Mademoiselle and Harper's Bazaar, was hired by GQ in 1984 in a move that was called an "an odd choice, but... was actually the perfect choice"? (2009-03-07)
... that, during a television interview,
Romanian politician Elena Udrea made reference to the "President of
Norway", apparently unaware that the country is a
monarchy? (2009-03-05)
... that Norwegian
speed skaterRandi Thorvaldsen won nine national allround championships in a row from 1946 to 1954, and finished first in 34 distances out of 36 possible? (2009-02-28)
... that Althea Byfield played collegiate
basketball in the United States, is signed to play semi-professional
netball in New Zealand, and has represented
Jamaica internationally in both sports? (2009-02-26)
... that as a blindfolded child, opera singer Pauline Joran(pictured) could identify
absolute pitch and the notes of
chords? (2009-02-24)
... that 2009
Michigan Hall of Honor inductee Mindy Gehrs was called "the best swimmer to ever part the waters of the Atomic City"? (2009-02-19)
... that, unusually for an eighteenth-century
novel, the heroine of
Charlotte Turner Smith's Emmeline does not meet the man she marries until half-way through the story? (2009-02-18)
... that the
Tang Dynasty's Princess Taihe, who became the Kedun (empress) of its ally
Huigu, suffered through Huigu's collapse before she was able to return to the Tang? (2009-02-17)
... that novelist Charlotte Turner Smith(pictured) condemned her father for forcing her to marry and turning her into a "legal prostitute"? (2009-02-15)
... that the prolific author Maxwell Gray, whose real name was Mary Gleed Tuttiett, was a permanent invalid who seldom left her home in
Newport,
Isle of Wight? (2009-02-04)
... that
OklahomahistorianAngie Debo won numerous honors for her books on
Native American history, but never found a permanent position in an academic history department? (2009-01-23)
... that following
TV3's axing of Night Shift the presenter, model Michelle Doherty, was said to have been left feeling "completely bewildered, and absolutely gutted"? (2009-01-22)
... that
professional wrestlerSusan Green legally changed her name to Susan Tex Green to differentiate herself from another woman named Susan Green who was writing bad
checks? (2009-01-21)
... that Evelyn Lauder, who co-created and popularized the
pink ribbon as a symbol for
breast cancer awareness, helped create
Estée Lauder's Pink Ribbon lipstick and blusher as a breast cancer fundraiser? (2009-01-20)
... that Alexandra Penney, author of the best-selling book How to Make Love to a Man, has been credited as one of the creators and popularizers of the
pink ribbon(pictured) as a symbol for
breast cancer awareness? (2009-01-13)
... that after the 1862 trial of poisoner Catherine Wilson, the judge, John Barnard Byles, described her as "the greatest criminal that ever lived"? (2009-01-11)
... that
Nubian queen Amanitore(
relief pictured) ruled over so much building work that her reign is considered the most prosperous time in
Meroitic history? (2009-01-08)
... that 12-year-old actress Caitlin Sanchez, selected to perform the voice of the title character in
Nickelodeon's Dora the Explorer, grew up as a fan of the show with a Dora-themed bedroom and backpack? (2009-01-06)
... that Iolani Luahine, considered the high priestess of the ancient
hula, was said to be able to "call up the wind and the rain" and to "make animals do her bidding"? (2009-01-01)
... that more than any other recent pop star, Madonna has used
MTV and
music videos to establish her popularity and to enhance her recorded work? (2009-12-28)
... that Swede Anna Jansson started a successful career as a
crime writer in 2000 after working twenty years as a nurse? (2009-12-28)
... that after a short career in films, Elaine Shepard was a journalist in
Vietnam? (2009-12-22)
... that in
England until the early 20th century, a man wishing to separate from his wife could lead her to market by a
halter and sell her(process pictured) to the highest bidder? (2009-12-21)
... that the most expensive dress owned by Maria Augusta, Duchess of Württemberg was worth 500 florins, more than 30 times a servant's annual income? (2009-12-15)
... that in her teen years, actress Lillebil Ibsen played leading roles in
Max Reinhardt's pantomime productions? (2009-12-13)
... that unlike her predecessors, the Empress Regnant Lý Chiêu Hoàng was not worshipped in
Lý Bát Đế Shrine because of her responsibility in the collapse of
Lý Dynasty? (2009-12-09)
... that Shraddha Jadhav, who was recently elected as the
Mayor of Mumbai and chief of India's richest municipal body, is known for her "elegant dressing"? (2009-12-08)
... that actress
Jessalyn Gilsig hoped viewers would warm to her Glee character
Terri Schuester after the episode "
Mattress", having previously experienced a fan backlash? (2009-12-08)
... that playwright Marisa Wegrzyn dealt with poor reviews by "being sulky and brooding and riding the subway a lot"? (2009-12-08)
... that the song "Speechless", by
Lady Gaga, was written as a plea to her father to receive the open-heart surgery he needed for a bad
aortic valve? (2009-12-02)
... that Laura Kirkpatrick placed second in the reality show America's Next Top Model in 2009, but was ranked fan favorite in a poll conducted by the show? (2009-12-02)
... that U.S.
birth control advocate Dr. Bessie Moses gave up her practice as an
obstetrician because she became emotionally attached to the outcome of every birth she attended? (2009-12-02)
... that
Scottish news presenter Mary Marquis continued to work while seven months pregnant in 1963, including one interview conducted on a roof? (2009-11-29)
... that the Nefertiti bust(pictured) was reinstated in
Neues Museum in 2009 after 70 years away, including a period in a salt mine in
World War II? (2009-11-28)
... that less than two years after Julia Goss thought she failed her audition, she became the principal soprano of the
D'Oyly Carte Opera Company? (2009-11-27)
... that Nicole Fox, who won first place in the reality show America's Next Top Model in 2009, is nicknamed "Bloody Eyeball"? (2009-11-26)
... that stand-up comedian and actress Retta said her role on Parks and Recreation is stressful because she was initially unsure the show would last due to poor reviews? (2009-11-23)
... that Lalla Carlsen is regarded as one of the most legendary female revue artists in Norway? (2009-11-22)
... that
Michael Jackson blamed his record label,
Sony Music, for the failed release of his charity song "What More Can I Give", and branded the label's CEO "racist" and "very, very, very devilish"? (2009-11-18)
... that the assumption of modern historians that Elisabeth of Greater Poland is a daughter of
Elisabeth of Hungary, due to lack of medieval sources, is based on them sharing the same name and coming from
Hungary? (2009-11-18)
... that Bokken Lasson established the cabaret Chat Noir in Oslo, Norway, in 1912? (2009-11-17)
... that Makerita Urale, a leading figure in contemporary
Polynesian theatre, directed the play Frangipani Perfume, the first Pacific play written by a woman for an all-female cast? (2009-11-15)
... that the
Colombian actress and beauty queen Liliana Lozano was shot to death two days after the murder of her boyfriend, the drug lord
Leonidas Vargas? (2009-11-15)
... that bandmates of Beverley O'Sullivan, recently killed in
India, found out the true extent of her hearing difficulties when she developed a sore ear during a
Westlife performance? (2009-11-15)
... that cricketer Audrey Jackson was only able to play in the fourth
women's Test for
South Africa after securing travel to the game with the opposition
England side? (2009-11-15)
... that singer-songwriter Maria Dunn hosted a folk music radio show for twelve years before becoming a performer herself? (2009-11-14)
... that the popular Chinese TV talent show contestant Lou Jing, dubbed the "Black Pearl", is of Chinese and
African American heritage? (2009-11-14)
... that after
George III was attacked with an ivory-handled dessert knife by Margaret Nicholson, the number of men guarding him was increased from 4 to 11? (2009-11-12)
... that Ree Drummond'sConfessions of a Pioneer Woman, the 2009
Bloggies "Weblog of the Year", is known for its "How to Cook a Steak" tutorial with photos in "ridiculous detail"? (2009-11-09)
... that according to
Hindu mythology, Ila was cursed to change his/her gender every month? (2009-11-09)
... that female
karatekaYıldız Aras holds more World, European, and Mediterranean Games champion titles than any other
Turkish sportsperson? (2009-11-08)
... that "Kaboom", an episode of
NBC's Parks and Recreation, featured the real-life charity
KaBOOM! as part of a multi-network television campaign to spotlight volunteerism? (2009-11-05)
... that contraception expert Dr. Sheldon Segal led the team that developed the implantable device
Norplant, described as "the first significant advance in birth control since the
pill"? (2009-10-29)
... that Canadian singer Térez Montcalm's debut album, Risque, saw her nominated for five
Félix Awards in 1995? (2009-10-27)
... that when
SwedeAnna Bågenholm got trapped under a layer of ice in a river for eighty minutes, her body temperature decreased to 13.7 °C (56.7 °F) — the lowest survived body temperature ever recorded in a human? (2009-10-27)
... that teenage singer
Faryl Smith's upcoming album Wonderland features a digitally produced duet with
Luciano Pavarotti, who died in 2007? (2009-10-25)
... that Nancy Wexler, who discovered the location of the gene that causes
Huntington's disease and created a genetic test for it, is herself at risk as the daughter of a sufferer? (2009-10-24)
... that
Katie Piper, a former model who was
burnt by acid in an attack arranged by her ex-boyfriend, had her face removed and rebuilt in a single operation, which was the first of its kind? (2009-10-24)
... that while the rest of
India worships the
Hindu wealth-goddess
Lakshmi,
Bengalis venerate the fearsome goddess
Kali (pictured) today on Kali Puja? (2009-10-17)
... that Peg Mullen's change into an antiwar activist after her son's death in
Vietnam by shrapnel fired from U.S. artillery, became the
Emmy Award-winning 1979 film Friendly Fire starring
Carol Burnett? (2009-10-15)
... that some historians believe that Edith Rogers was left out of the
Albertacabinet in 1935 because she was a woman? (2009-10-14)
... that patient activist Rose Kushner is credited with helping to end the practice of treating
breast cancer by performing both a
biopsy and a
mastectomy as a one-step surgical procedure? (2009-10-13)
... that Maria Gulovich sheltered Jews, worked for the anti-fascist underground, and was awarded the
Bronze Star for saving the lives of
OSS agents during
World War II? (2009-10-11)
... that Lee Robins "pioneered the field of
psychiatric epidemiology" and "played a key role in determining the prevalence of mental problems in the United States and the world"? (2009-10-11)
... that
Indigenous Australian artist and illustrator Bronwyn Bancroft was the first Australian fashion designer invited to show her work in Paris? (2009-10-11)
... that Mimi Weddell, whose acting career started in her mid-1960s, was named as one "The Most Beautiful
New Yorkers" by New York magazine in 2005 at age 90? (2009-10-09)
... that Isaac Baker Brown was an English
surgeon who in 1867 was expelled from the Obstetrical Society of London for performing
clitoridectomies without his patients' consent? (2009-10-08)
... that
English author Selina Davenport, in an attempt to support herself and her two daughters after separating from her husband, ran both a coffee house and a dance school? (2009-10-07)
... that English actress Maxine Audley was married four times? (2009-10-07)
... that
silent film star Clara Williams(pictured), known for her "forty famous frocks", appeared in more than 100 films between 1910 and 1918? (2009-10-06)
... that
Emmy Award-winning director Dearbhla Walsh described one scene in Talk to Me where a teacher commits
adultery with her 15-year-old pupil as "not so much about
sex as about love"? (2009-09-30)
... that as of 2009, Liz Shuler is the first woman and youngest person to hold the position of
AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer, and the highest-ranking woman in the
labor federation's history? (2009-09-27)
... that the series Svenska Hollywoodfruar follows Swedish women living a glamorous lifestyle in the
Hollywood-area with rich American husbands? (2009-09-19)
... that Countess Mariya Volkonskaya(pictured) renounced her rights, titles and possessions to follow her husband in
Siberian exile? (2009-09-19)
... that Nan Vernon provided the end credit music of both of Rob Zombie's Halloween films and has been noted for being part of the "
singer-songwriter trend" of women nurturing
folk music's rebirth? (2009-09-13)
... that Josefin Crafoord originally declined an offer to appear on the Swedish version of Dancing on Ice because she did not know how to
skate? (2009-09-13)
... that in 1885, over 10,000 mourners attended the funeral of
EnglishmaidservantAlice Ayres(pictured)? (2009-09-05)
... that ex-professional
tennis player Claire Curran competed for both
Ireland and
Great Britain in the
Fed Cup and accumulated a win–loss record of 20–7 in Fed Cup matches over the course of her career? (2009-08-31)
... that Emma Nutt became the world's first female telephone operator when she started working for the Boston Telephone Despatch company in 1878? (2009-08-27)
... that Freeheld is an Academy Award-winning documentary by Cynthia Wade that follows a
New Jersey detective fighting for the right to pass on her pension to her female
domestic partner? (2009-08-24)
... that
New YorkerMarcey Jacobson had planned to visit
Chiapas for 10 days in 1956, but ended up staying there for most of the next 50 years, taking 14,000 photos of daily life in Southern Mexico? (2009-08-21)
... that while running for the presidential nomination in 2008,
Hillary Clinton credited political advisor and lobbyist Anne Wexler with providing her first job in politics? (2009-08-19)
... that on his wife
Nancy's birthday,
Ronald Reagan would send flowers to his mother-in-law, Edith Luckett Davis, to thank her for giving birth to Nancy? (2009-08-16)
... that Wilma Scott Heide grew
NOW to 50,000 members and an annual budget of $750,000 during her four-year term as president, having taken office in 1971 with 3,000 members and spending of $28,000? (2009-08-09)
... that Canadian Sandy Hott´s result in 2005 was the highest placement ever at the
World Orienteering Championships by a competitor from the North American continent? (2009-08-09)
... that Jasmin Ouschan(pictured), who was born in 1986 and won her first European Championship in 1999, is a nineteen-time European
billiards champion? (2009-08-09)
... that the English poet Mary Jones, called "the Chantress" by
Samuel Johnson, did not consider publishing her efforts until pushed to do so by her friends? (2009-08-07)
... that the single "Hot" by
Romanian singer Inna was posted on
YouTube and reached 2 million views in under one year? (2009-08-04)
... that while working as a children's entertainer in the 1980s, actress Fay Ripley was set up as a jewellery thief in an
insurance fraud attempt? (2009-08-04)
... that
Ziegfield GirlSusan Fleming found
Harpo Marx, despite his non-speaking film persona, to be "a warm, fun, darling man to talk to", and they married in 1936 after she had proposed to him three times? (2009-07-30)
... that Frances Fuller Victor, an influential writer of history and fiction, was initially uncredited for her major contributions to historian
Hubert Howe Bancroft's monumental work, The History of the West? (2009-07-19)
... that in 1958, female
professional wrestlersKay Noble, Lorraine Johnson,
Penny Banner, and Laura Martinez were charged with inciting a riot when they began fighting outside of the
ring, but pleaded not guilty in court? (2009-07-09)
... that pioneering
lesbian journalist Edith Eyde only assumed the pseudonym Lisa Ben after editors of the lesbian magazine The Ladder rejected her first choice, "Ima Spinster"? (2009-06-29)
... that in
Albanian folklore, the zana, mountain
fairies revered for their beauty and courage, are said to have watched approvingly over Albanian protests against the 1878
Treaty of San Stefano? (2009-06-26)
... that
theoretical biologistMary Jane West-Eberhard says that she learnt more about science at high school from her English course on critical reading and writing than from her biology class? (2009-06-19)
... that
paleontologistGerta Keller theorizes that dinosaurs did not become extinct until 300,000 years after the
Chicxulub meteor, though she agrees that "I'm sure the day after, they had a headache"? (2009-06-18)
... that actress Charlene McKenna was pleased that her full-frontal
nude scene in the television series Raw attracted few complaints? (2009-06-17)
... that Anna Goldfeder, a pioneering researcher in the fields of
radiology and
cancer treatment, worked as a research scientist in an abandoned building for two years before she secured enough grant money to move her laboratory? (2009-06-08)
... that after facing 2009 All-American
softballpitcherNikki Nemitz's fastball, a sports writer for the Detroit Free Press wrote that he "actually felt a breeze" and his "knees buckled"? (2009-06-06)
... that actress Kate Cutler walked out of the lead role in
Noël Coward's The Vortex a week before it opened in 1924? (2009-05-31)
... that as a student,
mathematicianAudrey Terras was steered into
math away from her other choice,
history, by a post-
Sputnik program that paid students to study mathematics? (2009-05-31)
... that in 1875 actress Kate Bishop created the role of Violet Melrose in Our Boys, which was by far the longest-running work of theatre up to that time? (2009-05-28)
... that Elsie B. Washington was called the "mother of the
African-Americanromance" for her 1980 novel, considered the first to feature African American characters by an African American author? (2009-05-22)
... that while still in college, children's author Eloise Greenfield realized that she was too shy to be a teacher and dropped out to work at the
U.S. Patent Office? (2009-05-22)
... that Fatma Aliye Topuz, whose portrait illustrates the reverse of the current 50
Turkish lira banknote, is credited as the first female
Turkish and
Muslim writer? (2009-05-05)
... that the history of the underwire bra(patent pictured) dates back to 1893 when Marie Tucek patented a "breast supporter" that used a metal or cardboard support under the breasts? (2009-05-01)
... that Peggy Stuart Coolidge was the first American composer to have a concert devoted entirely to her works presented in the
Soviet Union? (2009-04-25)
... that during their long, discreet affair,
Arthur Sullivan recorded the number of his intimate acts with socialite Fanny Ronalds(pictured) in his diary? (2009-04-25)
... that the
Honduran romance novel Blanca Olmedo is a rare early female criticism of the establishment and corruption in Honduras? (2009-04-25)
... that Dr. Jo Riley explored
Chineseexorcism and ancient animation rites at the tomb, to better document actor performance (example pictured) in
Chinese theatre? (2009-04-23)
... that Johanne Dybwad´s acting career spanned sixty years, from 1887 to 1947? (2009-04-21)
... that actress
Sela Ward was not initially interested in playing Stacy Warner on
FOX's House, but changed her mind after watching tapes of the show? (2009-04-19)
... that philanthropist Dorothy Cullman and her husband, Lewis Cullman, donated over $250 million in support of
the arts,
science, and
education? (2009-04-19)
... that Minori Kimura made her professional
manga artist debut at the age of 14 in the 1964 Spring Special issue of Ribon, a magazine published in
Japan by
Shueisha? (2009-04-10)
... that the poet, novelist and children's author Karin Bang is a passionate collector of ancient
dolls? (2009-04-06)
... that according to the
magico-medical text Cyranides, miscarriages caused by female demons such as Gello can be prevented by wearing an aetite as an
amulet? (2009-04-06)
... that Ebba Haslund'sadolescence novelNothing Happened was virtually ignored by the press when it was first issued in
Norwegian in 1948, but was later regarded as one of her most important books? (2009-03-31)
... that
Grammy-nominated
CCM musician Ayiesha Woods was the first female to receive a "Producer of the Year" award at the Gospel Music Marlin Awards? (2009-03-31)
... that
pianistMona Golabek wrote a book about her mother's experience as part of the
Kindertransport, a mission to rescue children threatened by the
Nazis? (2009-03-29)
... that Leslie George Katz founded the Eakins Press, which printed a number of books by his wife Jane Mayhall, using funds from the sale of several
Thomas Eakins paintings that Katz's father had secretly collected? (2009-03-29)
... that when Dorothea Holt Redmond was hired in 1938 in the "heretofore exclusively male field" of film
production design, male co-workers demanded that she work in an area separated from them? (2009-03-27)
... that in the first eight years after Harvard Girl was published in
mainland China, the number of Chinese applicants to
Harvard increased tenfold? (2009-03-25)
... that the "Golden Ticket" episode of the U.S. version of The Office was watched by 7.7 million viewers, tying with Grey's Anatomy for number one among the broadcast networks in adults 18–34? (2009-03-24)
... that when Barbara Parker left a law career to take a master's, her thesis went on to be
short listed for an
Edgar Award as a best first mystery novel? (2009-03-15)
... that early sources suggested that
Moses had taken an Ethiopian wife named Tharbis after laying siege to her city, prior to his ascendancy to
prophethood in the Jewish faith? (2009-03-13)
... that Rhena Schweitzer,
Albert Schweitzer's only child, married David C. Miller, a doctor who cared for her father, and the couple traveled around the world offering aid to victims of famine and war? (2009-03-11)
... that Jane Sterk joined the
Green Party of British Columbia after witnessing environmental degradation in Mexico and became its leader six years later? (2009-03-11)
... that Nonnie Moore, a woman who had been fashion editor at Mademoiselle and Harper's Bazaar, was hired by GQ in 1984 in a move that was called an "an odd choice, but... was actually the perfect choice"? (2009-03-07)
... that, during a television interview,
Romanian politician Elena Udrea made reference to the "President of
Norway", apparently unaware that the country is a
monarchy? (2009-03-05)
... that Norwegian
speed skaterRandi Thorvaldsen won nine national allround championships in a row from 1946 to 1954, and finished first in 34 distances out of 36 possible? (2009-02-28)
... that Althea Byfield played collegiate
basketball in the United States, is signed to play semi-professional
netball in New Zealand, and has represented
Jamaica internationally in both sports? (2009-02-26)
... that as a blindfolded child, opera singer Pauline Joran(pictured) could identify
absolute pitch and the notes of
chords? (2009-02-24)
... that 2009
Michigan Hall of Honor inductee Mindy Gehrs was called "the best swimmer to ever part the waters of the Atomic City"? (2009-02-19)
... that, unusually for an eighteenth-century
novel, the heroine of
Charlotte Turner Smith's Emmeline does not meet the man she marries until half-way through the story? (2009-02-18)
... that the
Tang Dynasty's Princess Taihe, who became the Kedun (empress) of its ally
Huigu, suffered through Huigu's collapse before she was able to return to the Tang? (2009-02-17)
... that novelist Charlotte Turner Smith(pictured) condemned her father for forcing her to marry and turning her into a "legal prostitute"? (2009-02-15)
... that the prolific author Maxwell Gray, whose real name was Mary Gleed Tuttiett, was a permanent invalid who seldom left her home in
Newport,
Isle of Wight? (2009-02-04)
... that
OklahomahistorianAngie Debo won numerous honors for her books on
Native American history, but never found a permanent position in an academic history department? (2009-01-23)
... that following
TV3's axing of Night Shift the presenter, model Michelle Doherty, was said to have been left feeling "completely bewildered, and absolutely gutted"? (2009-01-22)
... that
professional wrestlerSusan Green legally changed her name to Susan Tex Green to differentiate herself from another woman named Susan Green who was writing bad
checks? (2009-01-21)
... that Evelyn Lauder, who co-created and popularized the
pink ribbon as a symbol for
breast cancer awareness, helped create
Estée Lauder's Pink Ribbon lipstick and blusher as a breast cancer fundraiser? (2009-01-20)
... that Alexandra Penney, author of the best-selling book How to Make Love to a Man, has been credited as one of the creators and popularizers of the
pink ribbon(pictured) as a symbol for
breast cancer awareness? (2009-01-13)
... that after the 1862 trial of poisoner Catherine Wilson, the judge, John Barnard Byles, described her as "the greatest criminal that ever lived"? (2009-01-11)
... that
Nubian queen Amanitore(
relief pictured) ruled over so much building work that her reign is considered the most prosperous time in
Meroitic history? (2009-01-08)
... that 12-year-old actress Caitlin Sanchez, selected to perform the voice of the title character in
Nickelodeon's Dora the Explorer, grew up as a fan of the show with a Dora-themed bedroom and backpack? (2009-01-06)
... that Iolani Luahine, considered the high priestess of the ancient
hula, was said to be able to "call up the wind and the rain" and to "make animals do her bidding"? (2009-01-01)