Spotlight: Women Doing Awesome Things

The first presidential statement observing women’s history was issued by President Jimmy Carter in 1980, who declared March 2-8 as National Women’s History Week. Carter’s official acknowledgment of Women’s History Week was monumental given that it grew out of one local celebration in Santa Rosa, California. The following year, Public Law No. 97-28 was passed, which authorized and requested the President to proclaim the week beginning March 7, 1982 as Women’s History Week. By 1987, a group named the National Women’s History Project successfully petitioned Congress to designate the entire month of March as “Women’s History Month.” Since then, as a celebration of the contributions that women have made to the United States, each president has issued an annual proclamation declaring March as Women’s History Month.

In honor and celebration of Women’s History Month, as well as International Women’s Day (March 8th), the Still Picture Branch presents: Women Doing Awesome Things.

Record Group 237, Series G (237-G): Records of the Federal Aviation Administration; General Photograph File.

237-G-141-035 (Ruth Law)
Ruth Law Oliver in a Headless Curtiss. In 1916, Ruth Law had flown further than anyone in the United States. Law was also the first woman to fly at night and in 1919 she had the honor of carrying the first official air mail to the Philippine Islands. No date. (Local ID: 237-G-141-035)

Record Group 165, Series WW (165-WW): Records of the War Department General and Special Staffs; American Unofficial Collection of World War I Photographs, 1917 – 1918. These images have been digitized and are available in the NARA catalog.

Record Group 4, Series G (4-G): Records of the U.S. Food Administration, Photographs of Food Conservation Activities, 1917 – 1919

Record Group 16, Series G (16-G): Records of the Office of the Secretary of Agriculture; Historical File of the Office of Information, Department of Agriculture, 1900 – 1959

Record Group 171, Series OCD (171-OCD): Records of the Office of Civilian Defense; Defense Practices of the Office of Civil Defense, 1942 – 1943

Record Group 174, Series G (174-G): General Records of the Department of Labor; Photographic Prints of Occupations, Labor Activities, and Personalities, 1940 – 1970

Record Group 65, Series QT (65-QT)Records of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Photographs Related to the FBI Academy, Quantico, Virginia, ca. 1950 – ca. 1980

Record Group 255, Series GRC (255-GRC): Records of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; Photographs Relating to Agency Activities, Facilities and Personnel, 1973 – 2013. This series is digitized and available in the NARA online catalog.

Record Group 330, Series CFD (330-CFD): Records of the Office of the Secretary of Defense; Combined Military Service Digital Photographic Files, 1982 – 2007.  This series is digitized and available in the NARA online catalog.

Check out some of our previous blog posts dedicated to women’s history!

The Women of World War I in Photographs

The Women of World War I in Motion

The Indian School for Practical Nursing

Hidden Women: The Art of WWI Camouflage (Photos)

Sally Ride and the Women of NASA

Cracking the Glass Ceiling: Margaret Chase Smith and Shirley Chisholm

Spotlight on Veterans: Navy Women in Parachute Rigger Training

One thought on “Spotlight: Women Doing Awesome Things

  1. Kaitlyn, All I can say is thank you! Awesome. Mike will be asking you to be friends so he can get your blogs as well!!

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