March 8 - International Women's Day

On this day in history in 1910, Clara Zetkin, leader of the Women's Office for the Social Democratic Party in Germany, suggested the idea of  a day of celebration where every woman in every country could press for their demands. Her suggestion was met with unanimous approval, and International Women's Day was born. Over 100 years later, we still celebrate.

 

Learn more about International Women's Day here: http://www.internationalwomensday.com/about.asp

 

Come down to the library and check out some of our materials on important women in history.

 

 

Here are some items that might interest you:

 

"American Isis: the Life and Art of Sylvia Plath", by Carl Rollyson

 







 

"The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman", DVD courtesy of Tomorrow Entertainment

 

 

"Dancing Backwards: a Social History of Canadian Women in Politics", by Sharon Carstairs and Tim Higgins

 

 "How the Girl Guides Won the War", by Janie Hampton

 

 

"The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks", by Rebecca Skloot

 

 

Check out the "Land Girls" series on DVD

 

 

"The Maid and the Queen: the Secret History of Joan of Arc", by Nancy Goldstone

 

 

"Restoring the Balance: First Nations Women, Community, and Culture", edited by Gail Guthrie Valaskakis, Madeleine Dion Stout, and Eric Guimond

 

 

"Rosa", by Nikki Giovanni

 

"This Wild Spirit: Women in the Rocky Mountains of Canada", edited by Colleen Skidmore 

 

"A Train in Winter", by Caroline Moorehead

 

 

"With Courage and Cloth: Winning the Fight for a Woman's Right to Vote", by Ann Bausum

 

 

"The Woman Suffrage Movement in Canada", by Catherine L. Cleverdon

 

 

"A Woman's Place: Seventy Years in the Lives of Canadian Women", edited by Sylvia Fraser

 

 

"The Young Victoria", DVD courtesy of GK Films

 

 

Today is also Girls Write Now Day, Middle Name Pride Day, National Proof Reading Day, and National Peanut Cluster.

 

Here are some interesting things that happened on this day in history:

 

- Queen Anne took the throne upon the death of King William III in 1702

- The Niagara Suspension Bride opened in 1855, linking Canada and the United States.

- Kenneth Grahame, author of "The Wind in the Willows", was born in 1859

- Mahatma Gandhi started civil disobedience in India in 1930

- Phyllis M. Daley became the first black nurse sworn-in as a US Navy ensign in 1945

- B.R. Walters became the first female medical officer assigned to a navy vessel in 1950

- The first flight of the Goodyear blimp took place in 1972

- The Royal Canadian Mint announced a branchopening in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1975

- Mario Orosco became the first victim of the Zodiac Killer in 1990

 

Stay tuned for our next "On This Day in History". Don't forget to celebrate International Women's Day!