Wicked Cool Women

March 08, 2011

Today, I got to work and was greeted with a jovial, "Happy International Women's Day!" I was totally excited to discover that every year on March 8th, countries around the world honor and celebrate the achievements of women both in the present and from history. International Women's Day has been recognized since 1911, which makes today its 100TH ANNIVERSARY!!!!!!! Wow. As a woman who absolutely supports and delights in the empowerment of other women, I couldn't be happier about this news.

A little history about International Women's Day (found on the official website):
     - originated in Europe; Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland participated the first year
     - in 1913-1914, date offically set as March 8th; women across Europe campaigned against WWI
     - in the 1970's, adopted by the UN; 1975 was National Women's Year

I think the best parts about honoring International Women's Day today were the discussions I got into with coworkers and customers at the library about all the amazing females we know about. We have tons of books on these extraordinary women, as well as works of literature they have created, magazines they've been featured in, CDs they have released, and some awesome databases to find out more information about them (including Biography in Context and the World Biographical Information System Online). Of course, I couldn't resist sharing a list of some of our favorite women, both real and fictional, historic and contemporary. Enjoy and feel free to add your own in the comments!

• Dolly Parton
• Ani Difranco
• Buffy Summers
• Ann Curry
• Gloria Steinham
• Joni Mitchell
• Michelle Obama
• Lady Gaga
• Julia Child
• bell hooks
• Lauren Bacall
• Wonder Woman
• Amelia Earhart
• Alice Walker
• Sacagawea
• Amy Adams
• Lucy Pevensie
• Meg Murry
• Harriet Tubman
• Laura Ingalls Wilder
• Mary Tyler Moore
• Katniss Everdeen
• Clary Fray
• Katsa (from Graceling)
• Patty Smith
• Maximum Ride
• Mogan le Fey
• Samus (from Metroid)
• Peach (from Mario Brothers)
• Milla Jovovich
• Charlize Theron
• Kate Beckinsale
• Kate Winslet
• Temperance Brennan a.k.a. Bones
• Virginia Woolf
• Ellen Ripley
• Rainbow Bright
• Thelma & Louise
• Reese Witherspoon
• Condoleeza Rice
• Sarah Connor
• Peppermint Pattie
• Gemma Doyle
• Belle (from Beauty and the Beast)
• Pocahontas
• Dora the Explorer
• Ms. Frizzle
• Ella Fitzgerald
• Lucille Ball
• Jane Goodall
• Margaret Mead
• Sandra Day O'Connor
• Etta James
• Calamity Jane
• Margo Roth Spiegelman
• Hester Prynne
• Reba McIntyre
• Marie Curie
• Judge Judy
• Mae West
• Stockard Channing
• Maya Angelou
• Mary Shelley
• Lara Croft
• Scout Finch
• Madeleine L'Engle
• Lois Lowry
• Drew Barrymore
• Jo March
• Boudica (British warrior queen)
• Elizabeth Taylor
• Audrey Hepburn
• Junie B. Jones
• Pippi Longstocking
• Rachel Carson
• Margaret Cho
• Kristen Wiig
• Sandra Boynton
• Judy Blume
• Rosa Parks
• Betsy Ross
• Ellen Degeneres
• Sophia Coppola
• Helen Mirren
• Julie Andrews
• Debbie Allen
• Janet Jackson
• Kathryn Bigelow
• Ramona Quimby
• Meryl Streep
• Miss Piggy
• Astrid Llewelyn
• Princess Leia
• Dorothy Gale
• Scarlett O'Hara
• Hermoine Granger
• Elizabeth Blackwell
• Jane Austen
• J.K. Rowling
• Libba Bray
• Amanda Palmer
• Mother Teresa
• Frida Kahlo
• Princess Diana
• Angelina Jolie
• Ellen Page
• Ann Hathaway
• Helena Bonham Carter
• Hillary Clinton
• Anne Frank
• Lorelai and Rory Gilmore
• Betty White
• Oprah
• Cleopatra
• Sue Sylvester
• Susan Lucci
• Joan of Arc
• Jackie Kennedy Onassis
• Betty Ford
• Jenny McCarthy
• Sandra Oh
• Carrie Underwood
• Abigail Breslin
• Eleanor Roosevelt
• Molly Ringwald
• Madonna
• Cher
• Marilyn Monroe
• Catwoman
• Nicole Kidman
• Corrie Ten Boom
• Cat Cora
• Dr. Quinn
• Sally Field
• Lois Lane
• Kery Strug
• Mia Hamm
• Shawn Johnson
• Pam Grier
• Beyonce
• Bernadette Peters
• Queen Noor
• Lisbeth Salander
• Natalie Portman
• Hippolyta (Queen of the Amazons)
• Cassandra (Greek prophetess)
• Sabriel (from the Abhorsen trilogy)
• Cordelia (from King Lear)
• Scheherazade
• Atalanta
• Dara Torres
• Michelle Kwan
• Bethany Hamilton
• Jessica Watson
• Christiane Amanpour
• Alice (in Wonderland)
• Queen of Sheba
• Mata Hari
• Susan Sarandon
• Katie Couric
• Diane Sawyer
• Barbara Walters
• Wu Zhao
• Simone de Beauvoir
• Catherine the Great
• Catherine de Medici
• Sappho
• Eliza Dushku
• all three of Charlie's Angels
• Dana Scully
• Rogue, Jean Grey, and Storm
• Agent 99
• Annie Oakley
• Hua Mulan
• Sekhmet (Egyptian warrior goddess)

Erin D.