NWHM in the News

"Also known as Brave Bessie and Queen Bess, Bessie Coleman was the first African American and Native American female pilot. According to the National Women’s History Museum, Coleman was inspired to become a pilot after hearing stories from her brother who served in France during World War I."

"The National Women's History Museum in Alexandria, Virginia has been collecting journals from women and girls who have been documenting their lives since the pandemic began two years ago."

Dr. Sally K. Ride Elementary School and the U.S. Mint hosted a celebration at the school to unveil the Dr. Sally Ride Quarter. The April 21 event also hosted representatives from the National Women’s History Museum, the Smithsonian Institution, Out Astronaut Project and Sally Ride Science. The Mint has added the NASA astronaut to its “American Women Quarters” program, marking the first commemoration of a female astronaut on a U.S. quarter.

Famed Atlanta aviator Bessie Coleman to appear on quarter in 2023

"Coleman died midflight in 1926. According to the National Women's History Museum, the 34-year-old was a passenger on a test flight with a mechanic when a loose wrench got lodged in the plane's engine, causing the mechanic to lose control of steering. The plane rolled, and Coleman, who was not wearing a seatbelt, fell 3,000 feet."

National Women’s History Museum Documents Pandemic Stories – The staff of the museum has collected journals that capture women’s experiences over the past two years. The nearly 500 entries serve as a time capsule of some of the most chaotic times seen in recent history. (New York Times)

For two years, the staff of the National Women’s History Museum has collected journals to capture women’s experiences. Here’s a sliver of the 500 entries.

"In spring of 2020, when other history museums began amassing Covid-19 artifacts, like masks and photographs of empty streets, Lori Ann Terjesen noticed that no institution was specifically capturing the experiences of women — “the architects of society,” as she described them last month. Women represented a majority of essential workers, including grocery store cashiers and nurses in hospitals. When schools shut, they took on the lion’s share of child care and remote teaching — a responsibility Terjesen, who has three children, ages 8, 6 and 3, knew intimately. As the vice president of education at the National Women’s History M

"Dr. Sally K. Ride Elementary School in Germantown hosted an event Thursday to celebrate the release of the Dr. Sally Ride quarter honoring the trailblazing figure. In 1983, Ride became the first American woman in space. Speakers during Thursday’s ceremony emphasized Ride’s impact as an inspiration for girls."

The United States Mint has added NASA Astronaut Sally Ride to its "American Women Quarters" program, marking the first commemoration of a female astronaut on a U.S. quarter. Representatives from the United States Mint, Dr. Sally K. Ride Elementary School, National Women’s History Museum, Smithsonian, Out Astronaut Project and Sally Ride Science gathered to celebrate the release of the Dr. Sally Ride Quarter."

Trailblazing Pilot Among Five Women Honored

" Coleman’s aviation story is one of perseverance in the face of racism and sexism: She earned a pilot’s license in 1921 after learning French and moving to France—because no U.S. flight school would teach her—and received her international pilot’s license from the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. She could not find employment in aviation in the United States, so she gained additional flight and aerobatic training in Europe, working with Anthony Fokker and others to perfect loops, “trick” climbs, and engine-out landings. Back in the United States, she flew in airshows and gave flight instruction, while encouraging African

"The secretary of the treasury selects the women to be honored after consulting with the Smithsonian Institution’s American Women’s History Initiative, the National Women’s History Museum and the Congressional Bipartisan Women’s Caucus."