There is much speculation about the character of Spartan Women. They are often viewed as strong, determined and powerful. This perception stems from the ability they had to hold more rights and experience more privileges than Greek women of other city-states.
4 July
On this day in 1927 the Lockheed Vega had its first flight.
20 June
Lizzie Andrew Borden (19 July, 1860 – 1 June, 1927) was an American woman who gained infamy for being tried and acquitted for the 1892 axe murders of her father and stepmother in Fall River, Massachusetts.
Continue reading “1893 – Lizzie Borden is acquitted of murder”
17 June
Her husband, Mughal emperor Shah Jahan I (reigned 1628-1658), will spend the next 17 years building her mausoleum, the Taj Mahal.
Continue reading “1631 – Mumtaz Mahal dies during childbirth”
4 June
Emily Davison, a suffragette, runs out in front of King George V’s horse, Anmer, at the Epsom Derby. She is trampled, never regains consciousness and dies four days later.
16 May
A 14-year-old Marie Antoinette marries 15-year-old Louis-Auguste who later becomes king of France. Continue reading “1770 – Marie Antoinette marries”
2 May
On this day in 1536, Henry VIII’s second wife and Queen of England, Anne Boleyn is arrested and imprisoned on charges of adultery, incest and treason.
24 April
Thutmose III (meaning “Thoth is born”) was the sixth Pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty. Continue reading “1479 BC – Thutmose III ascends to the throne of Egypt”
25 January
Valeria Messalina, (c. 17/20–48) married (as his third wife) the Roman Emperor Claudius. She was a paternal cousin of the Emperor Nero, a second-cousin of the Emperor Caligula, and a great-grandniece of the Emperor Augustus. A powerful and influential woman with a reputation for promiscuity, she allegedly conspired against her husband and was executed on the discovery of the plot. Her notorious reputation arguably results from political bias, but works of art and literature have perpetuated it into modern times.
15 January
Elizabeth I (7 September 1533 – 24 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana or Good Queen Bess, the childless Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty. Continue reading “1559 – Elizabeth I is crowned Queen of England in Westminster Abbey, London, England”
9 January
“The Black Dahlia” was a nickname given to Elizabeth Short (29 July, 1924 – c. 15 January, 1947), an American woman who was the victim of a much-publicized murder in 1947. Continue reading “1947 – Elizabeth “Betty” Short, the Black Dahlia, is last seen alive”
4 December
Virginia Rappe (1891 – 1921) was an American model and silent film actress and is best known for her death after attending a party with actor Roscoe Arbuckle, who was accused of complicity in her death though ultimately exonerated. Continue reading “1921 – The first Virginia Rappe manslaughter trial ends”
4 November
Nellie Tayloe Ross (29 Nov, 1876 – 19 Dec, 1977) was an American politician, the 14th Governor of Wyoming from 1925 to 1927 and director of the United States Mint from 1933 to 1953. She was the first woman to be elected governor of a U.S. state, and remains the only woman to have served as governor of Wyoming. Continue reading “1924 – Nellie Ross is elected the first female governor in the United States”
