March is National Women's History Month Celebrate the 2011 theme, Our History is Our Strength. The stories of women's achievements are integral to the fabric of our history. Learning about women's tenacity, courage, and creativity throughout the centuries is a tremendous source of strength. Begin celebrating National Women's History Month by visiting our website, www.nwhp.org for downloads and information. Click on our Webstore Theme and Celebration Items to purchase celebratory materials such as posters, bookmarks, balloons, and even a speech.   International Women’s Day, March 8th, is the original focal date for the celebration of National Women’s History Month. The selection was based on wanting to ensure that the celebration of women's history would include a multicultural perspective, an international connection between and among all women, and the recognition of women as significant in the paid workforce. 100th International Women's Day Anniversary (1911 - 2011) Join a Celebration on March 8th Check for location near you http://internationalwomensday.org/ History of International Women's Day In 1911, in memory of the early campaigns of women workers in the United States who led the movement for decent working conditions, the German labor leader Clara Zetkin proposed that March 8th be proclaimed International Women's Day (IWD). Get your 100th International Women’s Day Anniversary Poster today! March Highlights in U.S. Women's History  March 1, 1978 - Women's History Week is first observed in Sonoma County , California March 1, 1987 - A Congressional resolution designating March as Women's History Month is passed March 4, 1917 - Jeannette Rankin (R-MT) took her seat as the first female member of Congress March 8 - International Women's Day; its origins trace back to protests in US and Europe to honor and fight for the political rights for working women March 11, 1993 - Janet Reno is confirmed as the first woman U.S. Attorney General March 12, 1912 - Juliette Gordon Low assembled 18 girls together in Savannah , Georgia for the first-ever Girl Scout meeting March 13, 1986 - Susan Butcher won the first of 3 straight and 4 total Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Races in Alaska March 17, 1910 - Camp Fire Girls is established as the first American interracial, non-sectarian organization for girls March 20, 1852 - Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel, "Uncle Tom's Cabin," is published and becomes the best-selling book of the 19th century March 21, 1986 - Debi Thomas becomes first African American woman to win the World Figure Skating Championship March 23, 1917 - Virginia Woolf establishes the Hogarth Press with her husband, Leonard Woolf March 31, 1888 - The National Council of Women of the U.S. is organized by Susan B. Anthony, Clara Barton, Julia Ward Howe, and Sojourner Truth, among others; it is the oldest non-sectarian women's organization in U.S. March 31, 1776 - Abigail Adams writes to her husband John who is helping to frame the Declaration of Independence: "Remember the ladies..." March Birthdays March 3, 1962 - Jackie Joyner-Kersee, considered the world's greatest female athlete; holds the record in the long jump (1988) and the heptathlon (1986); winner of 3 gold, 1 silver, and 2 bronze medals in 4 Olympic games March 5, 1931 - Geraldyn (Jerrie) Cobb, record-setting aviator; first woman to pass qualifying exams for astronaut training, in 1959, but not allowed to train because of her gender March 7, 1938 - Janet Guthrie, pioneering woman auto racer; first woman to compete in Indianapolis 500 (1977) and Daytona 500 (1977) March 9, 1928 (1987) - Graciela Olivarez, Chicana activist; first woman and Latina law graduate from Notre Dame Law School; one of first two women on the board of Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF) March 15, 1933 - Ruth Bader Ginsburg, second female U.S. Supreme Court justice (1993) March 18, 1964 - Bonnie Blair, speed skater; one of the most successful Winter Olympian in U.S. history and 5 time gold medalist March 23, 1857 (1915) - Fannie Farmer, authored famous cookbook, "The Boston Cooking-School Cookbook", and included specific ingredient measurements for the first time which would become standardized cooking measurements March 23, 1924 (1980) - Bette Nesmith Graham, invented Liquid Paper correction fluid which became an office staple; created 2 foundations to support women's business and art March 24, 1826 (1898) - Matilda Joslyn Gage, suffragist, women's rights and Native American rights activist, historian, founding member of the National Woman Suffrage Association March 24, 1912 (2010) - Dorothy Height, served over 40 years as President of the National Council of Negro Women March 25, 1934 - Gloria Steinem, women's rights activist and journalist; founding editor of Ms. Magazine; helped found National Women's Political Caucus, the Women's Action Alliance, and the Coalition of Labor Union Women March 26, 1930 - Sandra Day O'Connor, first woman U.S. Supreme Court Justice (1981) March 27, 1924 (1990) - Sarah Vaughan, world renown jazz singer and pianist known as the "Divine One" March 31, 1889 (1975) - Muriel Wright, Choctaw Indian, teacher, historian, author, and editor Which Great Woman Was Born On Your Birthday? Watch people crowd around to see whose birthday they share - 750 women from U.S. history are named on this oversized poster with day by day listings, and colorfully bordered with images representing their many activities. Alphabetical list included for cross reference.  24" x 37"  Celebrate Women! Poster Created and Researched by Margaret Zierdt.  Get your Celebrate Women Poster +Index of Names here. Please feel free to use this information in any of your newsletters or forward it to colleagues or other interested parties.  A year-round women's history calendar is available on our website www.nwhp.org.  Also, please continue to email your additions to nwhp@nwhp.org.  Happy National Women's History Month! Keep on Writing Women Back into History.