It is a wholesome and necessary thing for us to turn again to the earth and in the contemplation of her beauties to know the sense of wonder and humility.
~ Rachel Carson
April 26, 1777 – Sybil Ludington, became an American Revolution heroine at the age of 16, when she rode 40 miles through the night warning the Connecticut countryside of invading British troops.
April 8, 1927 – Lois Miriam Freeman Wilson, born in Winnipeg, was the first woman moderator of the United Church in Canada. In 1965, she was ordained as a United Church Minister. As well, she was the first Canadian to serve as president of the World Council of Churches.
April 2, 1991 – Rita Margaret Johnson became the first woman in Canada to serve as the Premier of a province.
BIRTHDAYS
April 13, 1866 – 1936 – Ann Sullivan Macy – Teacher of Helen Keller, a student who was blind and deaf. Their story titled The Miracle Worker was originally published in 1957. The story was made into a television movie and play. The play continues to be performed on stages all over the country.
Gibson, W. (1957). The miracle worker: A play for television. New York: Alfred A Knopf.
April 9, 1888 – 1953 Florence Price – First Black woman symphony composer.
April 4, 1928 – Maya Angelou – Author and poet. Her books include, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and Amazing Peace: A Christmas Poem.
Angelou, M. (1972). I know why the caged bird sings. Bantam Books.
Angelou, M. (2005). Amazing peace: A Christmas poem. Random House.
April 3, 1934 – Jane Goodall – Anthropologist, conservationist and world-renowned authority on chimpanzees. Ms. Goodall is the author of many books, including children’s books. She has also produced many films depicting her ground-breaking studies.
EVENTS
April 5, 1917 – Women in British Columbia gained the right to vote.
April 12, 1917 – Women in Ontario gained the right to vote.
April 7, 1987 – Opening of the Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, DC. This was the first museum devoted to women artists.
April 28, 1993 – The first “Take our Daughters to Work” day.
April 22, 2005 – Inaugural Earth Day in recognition of environmentalist Rachel Carson, who documented her brilliant work on the dangers of DDT in a book Silent Spring. Note: DDT is also known under the chemical names 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethane and dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (from which the abbreviation DDT was derived). Carson, R. (2002). Silent spring. Mariner Books.
