| Dates
in History
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August
Dates in Women's Herstory
brought
to you by Susan
Butruille
- August 6,
1926: Gertrude Ederly became the first
woman to swim the English Channel,
breaking the previous record by two
hours. A ticker-tape parade in New
York honored the young woman who
wasn't yet twenty years old.
- August 6,
1945: The U.S. atomic bombing of
Hiroshima, Japan.
- August 8:
Birth of the Virgin Mary celebrated.
- Aug 12,
1867: Birth of Edith Hamilton,
acclaimed scholar of Greek and Roman
literature.
- Aug 13,
1818: Birth of Lucy Stone, feminist,
abolitionist and suffragist who
insisted on keeping her own name in
marriage. She inspired the title of
"Lucy Stoner," applied to
other women who kept their names.
- August 13:
Festival of Diana (protector of the
living) and Hecate (protector of the
dead), forerunner of the Feast of
the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.
- August 15:
Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin
Mary, celebrating the ascension of
Mary into heaven. A continuation of
ancient feasts to the female deity in
her Mother aspect.
- August 15:
Festival of Isis, when stalks of
grains are carried in procession to
honor her as Grain Goddess.
- August 19,
1814: Birth of Mary Ellen
"Mammy" Pleasant, who as a
former slave helped thousands of
slaves escape to freedom in Canada.
She migrated to California, where she
sued a streetcar company for
discrimination and fought for the
rights of Black people.
- August 23:
Festival of Nemesis, Greek Goddess,
protector of relics and memory of the
dead. [The History Goddess]
- August 26,
1920: Women's Equality Day, when
the states ratified the woman suffrage
(19th) amendment to the U.S.
Constitution, after 72 years of
struggle. Many women devoted their
adult lives to the cause, and many
were jailed and force-fed [during
starvation protests] for demanding
this basic [American] human right.
- August 29:
Festival of the nativity of the
Egyptian Goddess Hathor.
- August 29,
1957: The U.S. Congress passes the
Civil Rights Act.
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