On
Wednesday (March 8, 2023), I was truly
happy to be able to meet on-line with several dear friends for a quick celebration of
International Women’s Day!
At this gathering, before we proceeded with
 |
In
loving memory of Rodica Phillip |
Then
our evening continued with the theme of the day: womanhood! Lots of questions
were tossed around, personal perspectives were openly shared, and useful tips
were freely given away. Also, I was truly grateful that Mihai joined us, because he clearly explained,
from a medical standpoint, how many external factors could affect woman’s femininity,
and the link between women’s femininity and women’s health. Super interesting
concepts, eye opening and definitively worth pondering upon! The evening continued with a number of poems that I and few other ladies from the group
recited. It was truly lovely!
Also,
since the focus of this meeting was International
Women’s Day, here I’m glad to share with you some names of
famous women who changed the world.
· Only few famous ROMANIAN WOMEN:
– Elisa Leonida Zamfirescu (1887–1973): she was the first female engineer in Europe. She was born in the Romanian town of Galați. She intended to attend “Bridges and Roads University” in Bucharest, but was rejected because she was a female. She qualified as engineer in Berlin (Germany), at the “Royal Technical Academy”. During World War I she managed a hospital in Romania.
– Elena Caragiani Stoenescu (1887–1929): she was the first woman aviator in Romania. She graduated from the pilot school in Bucharest, but her applications for a license were rejected by the Romanian authorities, at that time. For this reason, she left for France, and two years later, she received her license, issued by the “International Aeronautical Federation”, being one of the first 15 female pilots in the world
– Elena Văcărescu (1864–1947): she was a Romanian aristocrat writer, having a rich literary activity in Paris. Twice, she was a laureate of the “Académie Française”, for her writings (called “Chants d’Aurore”). In 1925 she became member of the Romanian Academy (in Bucharest)
– Elena Negruzzi (1876–1948): she was a women's rights activist (in Romania), and the first female lawyer in Romania (1913). She was allowed to join the Iasi Bar only after 6 years of systematically applying and being rejected due to the fact that she was a woman. She was a co-founder of the women's organization “Association for the Civil and Political Emancipation of Romanian Women“ (1917), the “Group of Democratic Lawyers” (1935) and “The Women's Front” (1936)
– Elena Ghica (1828–1888): she was the first woman to climb the Swiss Alps. She came from a wealthy family and already at the age of 10 could speak 9 languages and at age 14 she translated into German language Homer’s “Iliad”
– Hortensia Papadat-Bengescu (1876–1955): she was a famous Romanian writer…a novelist of the Romanian interwar period, and her most famous novels were “Bach music concert”, “Hidden road”, and “Roots”
– Elisa Leonida Zamfirescu (1887–1973): she was the first female engineer in Europe. She was born in the Romanian town of Galați. She intended to attend “Bridges and Roads University” in Bucharest, but was rejected because she was a female. She qualified as engineer in Berlin (Germany), at the “Royal Technical Academy”. During World War I she managed a hospital in Romania.
– Elena Caragiani Stoenescu (1887–1929): she was the first woman aviator in Romania. She graduated from the pilot school in Bucharest, but her applications for a license were rejected by the Romanian authorities, at that time. For this reason, she left for France, and two years later, she received her license, issued by the “International Aeronautical Federation”, being one of the first 15 female pilots in the world
– Elena Văcărescu (1864–1947): she was a Romanian aristocrat writer, having a rich literary activity in Paris. Twice, she was a laureate of the “Académie Française”, for her writings (called “Chants d’Aurore”). In 1925 she became member of the Romanian Academy (in Bucharest)
– Elena Negruzzi (1876–1948): she was a women's rights activist (in Romania), and the first female lawyer in Romania (1913). She was allowed to join the Iasi Bar only after 6 years of systematically applying and being rejected due to the fact that she was a woman. She was a co-founder of the women's organization “Association for the Civil and Political Emancipation of Romanian Women“ (1917), the “Group of Democratic Lawyers” (1935) and “The Women's Front” (1936)
– Elena Ghica (1828–1888): she was the first woman to climb the Swiss Alps. She came from a wealthy family and already at the age of 10 could speak 9 languages and at age 14 she translated into German language Homer’s “Iliad”
– Hortensia Papadat-Bengescu (1876–1955): she was a famous Romanian writer…a novelist of the Romanian interwar period, and her most famous novels were “Bach music concert”, “Hidden road”, and “Roots”
· Only few famous WOMEN AROUND THE WORLD:
– Marie-Sophie Germain (1776–1831): she was a French mathematician whose work is still used in the construction of skyscrapers. She was also physicist and philosopher. Despite initial opposition from her parents and difficulties presented by society, she gained education from books in her father's library, including ones by Euler, and from correspondence with famous mathematicians such as Lagrange, Legendre, and Gauss (under the pseudonym of Monsieur LeBlanc). One of the pioneers of elasticity theory, she won the grand prize from the “Paris Academy of Sciences” for her essay on the subject. Her work on “Fermat's Last Theorem” provided a foundation for mathematicians exploring the subject for hundreds of years after. Because of prejudice against her sex, she was unable to make a career out of mathematics, but she worked independently throughout her life
– Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace (1815–1852): she was an English mathematician and writer, chiefly known for her work on Charles Babbage's proposed mechanical general-purpose computer, the Analytical Engine. She was the first to recognise that the machine had applications beyond pure calculation, and to have published the first algorithm intended to be carried out by such a machine. As a result, she is often regarded as the first computer programmer (as she created the concept of an operating system, or software)
– Marie Curie (1867–1934): she was a Polish and naturalized-French physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. She is regarded as the mother of modern physics. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the first person to win a Nobel Prize twice, and the only person to win a Nobel Prize in two scientific fields. Her husband, Pierre Curie, was a co-winner of her first Nobel Prize, making them the first-ever married couple to win the Nobel Prize and launching the Curie family legacy of five Nobel Prizes. She was, in 1906, the first woman to become a professor at the University of Paris
– Clarissa Harlowe Barton (1821–1912): she was an American nurse who founded the American Red Cross. She was a hospital nurse in the American Civil War, a teacher, and a patent clerk. Since nursing education was not very formalized at that time, she did not attend a nursing school, but she provided self-taught nursing care. Barton is noteworthy for doing humanitarian work and civil rights advocacy at a time before women had the right to vote. In 1973, her name was added to the National Women's Hall of Fame
– Selma Ottilia Lovisa Lagerlöf (1858–1940): she was a Swedish author, and the first woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature (in 1909). She published her first novel ("Gösta Berling's Saga") at the age of 33. Additionally, she was the first woman to be granted a membership in the Swedish Academy, in 1914.
As you can imagine the list of amazing women is absolutely enormous, and here my intention was to mention only a couple in order to emphasize yet again that women make history too and they also make our lives better, either by making amazing discoveries, or by writing phenomenal stories, or by participating in politics, or by advocating for human rights, while they love and take care of their families as well.
Our time together was heart-nourishing, and we concluded this warm evening on a peaceful note, wishing each-other only the best for the spring to come!
– Marie-Sophie Germain (1776–1831): she was a French mathematician whose work is still used in the construction of skyscrapers. She was also physicist and philosopher. Despite initial opposition from her parents and difficulties presented by society, she gained education from books in her father's library, including ones by Euler, and from correspondence with famous mathematicians such as Lagrange, Legendre, and Gauss (under the pseudonym of Monsieur LeBlanc). One of the pioneers of elasticity theory, she won the grand prize from the “Paris Academy of Sciences” for her essay on the subject. Her work on “Fermat's Last Theorem” provided a foundation for mathematicians exploring the subject for hundreds of years after. Because of prejudice against her sex, she was unable to make a career out of mathematics, but she worked independently throughout her life
– Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace (1815–1852): she was an English mathematician and writer, chiefly known for her work on Charles Babbage's proposed mechanical general-purpose computer, the Analytical Engine. She was the first to recognise that the machine had applications beyond pure calculation, and to have published the first algorithm intended to be carried out by such a machine. As a result, she is often regarded as the first computer programmer (as she created the concept of an operating system, or software)
– Marie Curie (1867–1934): she was a Polish and naturalized-French physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. She is regarded as the mother of modern physics. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the first person to win a Nobel Prize twice, and the only person to win a Nobel Prize in two scientific fields. Her husband, Pierre Curie, was a co-winner of her first Nobel Prize, making them the first-ever married couple to win the Nobel Prize and launching the Curie family legacy of five Nobel Prizes. She was, in 1906, the first woman to become a professor at the University of Paris
– Clarissa Harlowe Barton (1821–1912): she was an American nurse who founded the American Red Cross. She was a hospital nurse in the American Civil War, a teacher, and a patent clerk. Since nursing education was not very formalized at that time, she did not attend a nursing school, but she provided self-taught nursing care. Barton is noteworthy for doing humanitarian work and civil rights advocacy at a time before women had the right to vote. In 1973, her name was added to the National Women's Hall of Fame
– Selma Ottilia Lovisa Lagerlöf (1858–1940): she was a Swedish author, and the first woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature (in 1909). She published her first novel ("Gösta Berling's Saga") at the age of 33. Additionally, she was the first woman to be granted a membership in the Swedish Academy, in 1914.
As you can imagine the list of amazing women is absolutely enormous, and here my intention was to mention only a couple in order to emphasize yet again that women make history too and they also make our lives better, either by making amazing discoveries, or by writing phenomenal stories, or by participating in politics, or by advocating for human rights, while they love and take care of their families as well.
Our time together was heart-nourishing, and we concluded this warm evening on a peaceful note, wishing each-other only the best for the spring to come!
Until
next time, my very best regards to all, and once again, dear ladies:
Happy International Women’s Day!
● My additional greetings referring to INTERNATIONAL WOMEN's Day! – March 8: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019
NOTE: Dear readers, please be advised that on this website each of the previous postings, pertaining to the recurrent annual themes, portray a different perspective of the subject/s presented (same theme/s, but a different outlook without duplication due to the cultural richness of the specific topic/s discussed).
NOTE: Dear readers, please be advised that on this website each of the previous postings, pertaining to the recurrent annual themes, portray a different perspective of the subject/s presented (same theme/s, but a different outlook without duplication due to the cultural richness of the specific topic/s discussed).