” Everytime a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it possibly,
without claiming it, she stands up for all women.”
Maya Angelou
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To celebrate International Women’s Day, which takes places annually on the 8th of March, I thought it would be interesting to travel through time and meet some of the prominent female figures of history; so shall we?
1. Empress of Reform: Catherine the Great
Catherine the Great, an empress of Russia, led her country into full into the political and cultural life of Europe. She valued the arts and reformed the law of Russia. An empress that was, of her time, and is, nowadays, held in a high place for the advancements she brought about.
“I am one of the people who love the why of things.”
2. A Gentle Heart: Florence Nightingale
An English reformer and a nurse, she and her fellow colleagues were working for a hospital base during a time of war. They improved the unsanitary conditions of the place, reducing the death count by two-thirds. Nightingale is accredited for contributing to the reformation of healthcare world-wide and establishing the St. Thomas’ Hospital and the Nightingale Training School for Nurses, which still stands today within King’s College London as the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care.
“I attribute my success to this – I never gave or took any excuse.”
3. A Scientific Mind: Marie Curie
Polish/French scientist – Curie was the first woman to receive a Noble Peace Prize, and the first person to receive two Noble Peace Prizes: one for her contributions in physics and one for her revolutionizing discoveries in the field of chemistry. She was involved in the field of radioactivity and helped develop the first X-ray machine.
“You cannot hope to build a better world without improving the individuals. To that end, each of us must work for our own improvement.”
4. The Iron Lady: Margaret Thatcher
A grocer’s daughter to the parliament of England – The first British and European female prime minister, Thatcher became the most influential prime minister since Winston Churchill, boosting the United Kingdom’s economy and fighting wars to protect the lands of her nation.
“If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman.”
5. Many Many More – the names are infinite
6. You & I
Ladies, all of these women before us, they did not fear, they did not falter. They stood their ground, they pushed forward. Those names mentioned are but a few. Writing about them will never be enough; talking about them will never be enough. We are to carry their legacy and build our own – to stand right in our own skin, and pursue our vocations. We are the future and within us is the power – in the past, in the present, in the future; always. So, are we going to choose to be, or not?
” ’Cause I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.”
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Happy Thursday & Happy International Women’s Day!
Yours Truly,
N
A Coffee Shot 