History and Highlights for Women’s History Month
Written by: Rebecca M. Yassan
This week, WIST is highlighting the “Lost Women of the Manhattan Project” podcast by the Lost Women in Science Initiative. The podcasts were based on the book “Their Day in the Sun” by physicists Ruth Howes & Caroline Herzenberg. Both Ruth and Caroline worked at Argonne National Laboratory, and Caroline helped start the WIST Program!
“During World War II, thousands of scientists and engineers worked on the Manhattan project, the top secret push to develop an atomic bomb that would end the war. Two bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki did just that, while also killing hundreds of thousands of Japanese civilians. The devastating potential of nuclear weapons sparked a moral controversy that continues to this day. Hundreds of the scientists who worked on the Manhattan Project were women. Over the next few weeks we’ll be bringing you a few of their stories.”
Did you know each year the President issues a proclamation for Women’s History Month? The 2024 Presidential Proclamation can be found here.
To learn more about how Women’s History Month began, here are videos from the National Women’s History Museum and USA Today. I also encourage you to research other content from the National Women’s History Museum Channel or the many other external resources available online.
Recommended Movie: Woman in Motion
“Nichelle Nichols’ daunting task to launch a national blitz for NASA, recruiting 8,000 of the nation’s best and brightest, including the trailblazing astronauts who became the first Black, Asian and Latino men and women to fly in space.” (Viewing Options Available.)
Stay tuned as WIST highlights more women throughout March!
