For International Women’s day I decided to create a social media post with amazing facts about women. I started my search online, and I kid you not, the most interesting fact that came up on a well known search engine was this.
My flabber was gasted! We can definitely do better than focusing on a woman’s physical appearance. There are many amazing facts about women, not all are comparisons to men, many are just celebrating women’s achievements.I would like my niece or my partner’s daughters to be able to look up facts about women and not just see a bra size. To be fair, I would like my son’s to know there is more to women than the size of their breasts or how beautiful they are. So I set out to find out some amazing facts about women and their achievements. Here they are for you.
Amazing facts about women’s bodies
Women in history
There have been many amazing women in history, some documented and many not. I’m sure most of us have known amazing women in our lifetime. Women who are resilient, strong and inspirational, not all of these end up known around the world, but they are just as important to share with others as these more recognisable ones.
Amelia Earhart
Amelia Earhart was an amazing and inspirational woman with many achievements. She was also a big advocate for women’s rights and equality.
She became interested in flying as a teenager, and began flying lessons. Her passion for aviation grew and grew, and she saved for her own plane. In 1922 she broke the women’s altitude record. In 1928 she became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic. Between then and 1932 she set several speed records, and in this year she became the first ever female to fly solo across the Atlantic. She then went on to achieve many solo flight records, before departing on her final flight. She was set to be the first woman to fly around the World. Unfortunately Amelia and her co-pilot did not complete the flight and alongside the plane disappeared close to the end of their journey. Their remains have never been discovered. A lighthouse was built in Amelia’s memory close to the last known location of the plane.
“[Women] must pay for everything…. They do get more glory than men for comparable feats. But, also, women get more notoriety when they crash.” – Amelia Earhart
Emmeline Pankhurst
Emmeline is known as one of the leading campaigners for women’s rights. She was a founding member of the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU). This group of women fought for women to have the right to vote. They became known as The Suffragettes. Their methods weren’t always peaceful though. Due to this many of them, Emmeline included, ended up in prison many times. While there they were treated horrendously.
When the first World war began the WSPU ceased their protests to focus on war efforts. They encouraged women to take up manual roles, such as factory work and farming to keep the country running while the men were away fighting. At the end of the first World war an act was passed by government to allow women over the age of 30 who owned property to vote. This was still not enough and demonstrations and protests continued. Just a few weeks after Emmeline’s death a law was passed that allowed all women over the age of 21 to vote.
Catherine the Great
Catherine (actually called Sophie – that’s not why I included her 😉) was the longest female reigning leader in Russia’s history. There are many awesome facts about Catherine the Great. She was just 16 when she married the heir to the Russian throne. When he came into power she took no time at all in raising a rebellion against him, so that she could lead herself. Ultimate girl power goals!
She is seen as a pride of Russia as she helped develop the country in many areas. These included land, politics as well as art and education. She set-up hospitals and improved prisons, including removing corporal punishment. Serfs (peasants who worked the land) were given rights to improve their living conditions.
Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman truly was an amazing woman. She was an African American woman born in 1822 into slavery. After nearly being killed by a blow to the head at 13 she craved freedom and eventually found it. Over 10 years she travelled back to where she was enslaved to rescue of her family and friends. She provided instructions and support to another 70 slaves, who managed to also escape.
During the civil war she worked as a nurse, mainly caring for African American soldiers who had been badly injured.She was involved in a raid that saved over 700 slaves from plantations. As well as being an integral support to abolishing slavery she was also heavily involved with the Suffragette movement. She later set up a home for the Aged, and when she passed away she was buried with military honours.
Now I’ve been free, I know what a dreadful condition slavery is. I have seen hundreds of escaped slaves, but I never saw one who was willing to go back and be a slave. – Harriet Tubman
Quick facts
- Beyonce has won the most Grammy’s of all time, 35 in total!
- Sheila Nevins has received the most Emmy nominations ever, with 106 nominations and 31 wins. These are mainly for her work as a producer for HBO.
Amazing facts about women’s bodies
Women’s bodies come in all shapes and sizes, and all of them are beautiful. However, none of these facts are about how women look physically, but amazing features and abilities of women’s bodies.
- Women have a stronger immune system than a man does. Some claim this is due to chromosomes, others state it’s down to hormones. Whatever it is, we all know women never come down with man flu!
- Women see more colours than men. Research suggests that women can see more shades of colour than men can. They are also less likely to be colour blind.
- Women’s bodies are built for endurance. We have a higher proportion of slow-twitch muscle fibres which are less likely to fatigue.
- In every country around the World, women live longer than men. On average by 5 years.
- Women are good at remembering faces and conversations – it’s been proven.
- The feminine energy tends to be more intuitive and receptive, this means they are more likely to be spiritual and believe in the supernatural.
- People within the wine and beer industry say women have a refined tasting palate and as such are great for trying new products of those that need fine tuning!
- Women are happy! Studies show that women score slightly higher than men in happiness scores and satisfaction with life.
Inventions and discoveries by women
Women are great innovators! There are many things we use every day that have been created by women. What a great way to inspire young girls and women in how they can impact everyone’s life. Here are some of the many, many things that were invented or discovered by women:
Discoveries by women
- Radiation – Marie Curie was the first person to discover the power of radioactivity. She was the first woman to receive a Nobel prize due to this discovery. She was also the first ever person to receive 2 Nobel prizes!
- Beer – Many sources suggest that women were the first brewers of beer. It was considered a female craft and there was even a beer goddess!
- DNA structure – Rosalind Franklin discovered the structure of DNA which has led to many developments with understanding genetics, medications and how to treat certain illnesses. She unfortunately died aged 38 of ovarian cancer, some think she may have gone onto receive a Nobel prize for her contributions to understanding DNA.
- Nuclear power – The fundamental discovery of nuclear power came from a Jewish woman called Lise Meitner. She was also the first female physics professor in Germany, however being Jewish, she was persecuted in the second world war which disrupted her work. She was not included in the team that eventually won a Nobel prize for this work, many say because she was Jewish and a woman. She spent her time after the war encouraging women into education and science.
Inventions by women
- Circular saw – There are claims Sarah Babbitt was the first to invent the circular saw for use in a sawmill. She did not patent this idea though!
- Computer programming – Ada Lovelace is considered the first ever computer programmer. She was a mathematician who wrote the first algorithm for a machine, when she realised it could be more than just a calculator. She paved the way for modern day computing and the many inventions led on from this.
- Coffee filter – Melitta Bentz was a German inventor who created the coffee filter.
- Windscreen wipers – Mary Anderson patented windscreen wipers in 1903. These were the first to be controlled from inside the car.
- GIF’s – Next time you go to use a GIF on your phone remember that Lisa Gelobter created the animation software for GIF’s. She is celebrated for being a black woman in computer science, although she admits she is something of a ‘unicorn’. Hopefully more young black women continue to be inspired by her and her successes.
- Dishwasher – Josephine Cochrane invented the first hand powered dishwasher. She loved a dinner party but got upset when an heirloom dish was damaged during washing up. She decided to make it easier for her servants by creating a dishwasher, which would also keep her heirlooms crack free. When her husband died she battled with little male support to get patents and support with creating and distributing her product. She applied for a patent in 1885, and her product began to be used in hotels and other establishments. After her death her company was sold to KitchenAid.
- Syringe – Letitia Geer was a nurse who invented the one hand medical syringe, the ones commonly used in hospitals today.
Amazing facts about women
There you have it, a true celebration of how amazing women are. These women will inspire generations of future women to aim high and achieve their goals, no matter how big their boos are! Share in the comments below which women have inspired you, or any incredible facts about women that you know.
