International Women’s Day
March 8
Yearly Date: Always March 8th
This is the day for all women around the world to ROAR and to celebrate the cultural, political and historical achievements of women.
So to honor women on this special day, I thought you might be interested in a few things that we wouldn’t have today without a woman behind it:
1. WIFI – This one blew my mind. Did you know that during World War II actress Hedy Lamarr presented the US Navy with a patent for a spread-spectrum radio, which is considered the precursor to today’s WiFi.
2. THE HAIRBRUSH – During the late 1890s Lyda Newman, and African American woman living in New York, pioneered the use of synthetic bristles and filed for patent in 1898.
3. MONOPOLY – Elizabeth “Lizzie” Magie came up with the first version of this game and patented it in 1908. But, a man took the credit. Figures!
4. COFFEE FILTERS – You can thank Melitta Benz, a German housewife for no grounds in your cup of morning joe. She patented the coffee filter in 1908.
5. DISPOSABLE DIAPERS – Thank Marion Donovan for this!
6. THE FOOT-PEDAL TRASH CAN – If you are like me you don’t think about the sequence of things when you want to toss something into the trash. When your hands are full it can be messy. But thanks to Dr. Lillian Gilbreth, you can put your feet to good use and avoid a catastrophe. Oh, she also invented shelves for refrigerator doors. One smart lady!
7. STREET SWEEPING MACHINE – Thanks to Florence Parpart you don’t have to dodge trash on your street during your morning run. She also invented the refrigerator to replace the icebox, so can also thank her for not getting salmonella.
8. THE PAPER SACK – The original design for a bag made of paper looked more like an envelope. It just didn’t work for sandwiches and chips. So Margaret E. Knight engineered a sack with a flat bottom. Yay! They are also good in case you hyper-ventilate or want to make a puppet.
9. KEVLAR – No, I don’t have a Kevlar vest hanging in my closet, but because of the work of Stephanie Kwolek and her work with polymers the bulletproof vest exists. Kevlar is also used in ski helmets and suspension bridgesso just think about how many lives have been saved because of Stephanie!
10. CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES – Ending this illustrious list of brilliant women on a “sweet” note. In 1938, Ruth Graves Wakefield, who ran the Toll House Inn, baked the first batch of chocolate chip cookies. Sheer Genius!
We’ve come a long way baby! Happy International Women’s Day!
Quote for the Day
“Just believe in yourself. Even if you don’t, pretend that you do, and at some point, you will.”
Famous People Born in March
March 1, 1994 – Justin Bieber, Canadian singer-songwriter, dancer
March 2, 1779- Joel Roberts Poinsett, American Ambassador to Mexico brought Poinsettias to America.
March 2, 1904 – Theodore Seuss Geisel, “Dr. Seuss”
March 2, 1917- Desi Arnaz, “Ricky Ricardo” on “I Love Lucy”
March 2, 1931- Mikhail Gorbachev, Leader of USSR
March 2, 1950- Karen Carpenter, singer “We’ve Only Just Begun”
March 2, 1962- Jon Bon Jovi, singer, actor
March 3, 1847- Alexander Graham Bell, invented the telephone
March 3, 1920 – James Doohan, actor, “Scotty” on TV Series and movies “Star Trek”
March 3, 1962- Jackie Joiner-Kersee, Olympic gold medalist
March 4, 1888- Knute Rockne, Notre Dame’s “Fighting Irish” football coach
March 5, 1908- Rex Harrison, actor
March 5, 1936- Dean Stockwell, actor
March 5, 1958- Andy Gibb, member of “Beegees” band
March 5, 1989- Jake Lloyd, actor “Anakin Skywalker” in “Star Wars: Phantom Menace”
March 6, 1475- Michelangelo, Renaissance painter
March 6, 1906- Lou Costello, comedian, of Abbott and Costello
March 6, 1923- Ed McMahon, “Johnny Carson Tonight Show”
March 6, 1926- Alan Greenspan, Chairman of Federal Reserve
March 6, 1945- Rob Reiner, actor, director
March 6, 1959- Tom Arnold, actor
March 6, 1972- Shaquille O’Neal, NBA star
March 7, 1934- Willard Scott, NBC weatherman
March 8, 1945- Mickey Dolenz, singer, actor, “Mickey” of the “Monkees”
March 9, 1934- Yuri Gagarin, Russian astronaut, first man in space
March 9, 1943- Bobby Fischer, World Chess champion
March 10, 1928- James Earl Ray, assassinated Martin Luther King Jr.
March 10, 1940 Chuck Norris, , martial arts, “Walker” in TV series “Walker, Texas Ranger”
March 10, 1957- Osama Bin Laden, , Al Queda terrorist leader
March 10, 1958- Sharon Stone, , actress, “Basic Instinct”
March 10, 1983- Carrie Underwood, , American Idol winner
March 11, 1903- Lawrence Welk, , bandleader
March 11, 1934- Sam Donaldson, TV Journalist
March 12, 1923- Wally Schirra, astronaut
March 12, 1941- Barbara Feldon, actress
March 12, 1946- Liza Minnelli, actress, singer
March 12, 1948- James Taylor, American singer-songwriter
March 12, 1962- Darryl Strawberry, baseball player
March 13, 1855- Percival Lowell, astronomer
March 13, 1911- L. Ron Hubbard, science fiction writer
March 13, 1939- Neil Sedaka, singer, songwriter
March 14, 1864- Casey Jones, railroad engineer
March 14, 1879- Albert Einstein, physicist
March 14, 1912- Les Brown, and his “Band of Renown”
March 14, 1920- Hank Ketcham, cartoonist, created “Dennis the Menace”
March 14, 1928- Frank Borman, astronaut, airline executive
March 14, 1933- Michael Caine, actor
March 14, 1947- Billy Crystal, actor, comedian
March 15, 1767 – Andrew Jackson, 7th U.S. President(1829-1837), hero of the War of 1812
March 15, 1933- Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Supreme Court Justice
March 15, 1935- Judd Hirsch, actor, TV series “Taxi”
March 15, 1941- Mike Love, singer, musician, Beach Boys
March 15, 1961- Fabio, actor, model
March 15, 1975- Eva Longoria, actress, TV series “Desperate Housewives”
March 16, 1751 – James Madison, 4th U.S President(1809-1817)
March 16, 1822- Rosa Bonheur, French painter
March 16, 1906- Henny Youngman, comedian
March 16, 1912- Pat Nixon, Wife of Richard M. Nixon, First Lady
March 16, 1926- Jerry Lewis, actor, comedian
March 16, 1949- Erik Estrada, actor
March 17, 1902- Bobby Jones, golfer
March 17, 1919- Nat “King” Cole, singer
March 17, 1938- Rudolf Nureyev, Russian ballet dancer
March 17, 1945- Tony Dow, actor, brother “Wallie” on TV series “Leave it to Beaver”
March 17, 1949- Patrick Duffy, actor “Bobby Ewing” on TV Series “Dallas”
March 17, 1951- Kurt Russell, actor
March 17, 1964- Rob Lowe, actor
March 18, 1782- John C. Calhoun, statesman, vice president
March 18, 1837- Grover Cleveland, 22d and 24th U.S. President(1885-1889, 1893-1897)
March 18, 1869- Neville Chamberlain, British Prime Minister
March 18, 1926- Peter Graves, actor
March 18, 1939- Charley Pride, singer
March 18, 1941- Wilson Pickett, singer, songwriter
March 18, 1963- Vanessa Williams, singer, actress
March 18, 1964- Bonnie Blair, Olympic speed skating champion
March 18, 1970- Queen Latifah, rap singer, actress
March 19, 1589- William Bradford, , Pilgrim/Governor of Plymouth Colony
March 19, 1813- David Livingstone, , physician, explorer
March 19, 1848- Wyatt Earp, , Wild West lawman
March 19, 1891- Earl Warren, chief justice of the Supreme Court
March 19, 1906- Adolf Eichmann, Nazi leader
March 19, 1936- Ursula Andress, actress
March 19, 1947- Glenn Close, actress
March 19, 1955- Bruce Willis, actor
March 20, 1811- Napoleon Bonaparte II, Emperor of France and King of Rome
March 20, 1906- Ozzie Nelson, Actor, “The Nelsons”
March 20, 1922- Carl Reiner, actor, comedian
March 20, 1928- Fred Rogers, actor Children’s show “Mr. Rogers”
March 20, 1931- Hal Linden, actor, singer
March 20, 1939- Brian Mulroney, Canadian Prime Minister
March 20, 1948- Bobby Orr, hockey player
March 20, 1957- Spike Lee, director, filmmaker
March 21, 1685- Johann Sebastian Bach, , German musical composer
March 21, 1910- Julio Gallo, , California wine vintner
March 21, 1944- Timothy Dalton, , actor
March 21, 1962- Matthew Broderick, actor
March 21, 1962- Rosie O’Donnell, TV personality, actress
March 22, 1887- Chico Marx , of Marx Brothers
March 22, 1913- Karl Malden, actor
March 22, 1919- Werner Klemperner, actor
March 22, 1923- Marcel Marceau, French mime
March 22, 1930- Pat Robertson, , evangelist, presidential candidate
March 22, 1931- William Shatner, , actor James T. Kirk, on Star Trek
March 22, 1934- Orrin Hatch, , senator
March 22, 1943- George Benson, , singer, musician
March 22, 1948- Andrew Lloyd Webber, , English composer
March 22, 1952- Bob Costas, sportscaster
March 22, 1959- Matthew Modine, actor
March 23, 1904- Joan Crawford, Oscar winning actress
March 23, 1900- Erich Fromm, psychoanalyst
March 23, 1912- Werner von Braun, rocket pioneer, scientist
March 23, 1929- Roger Bannister, runner, first person to break 4-minute mile
March 23, 1953- Louie Anderson, comedian, actor
March 23, 1953- Chaka Khan, singer
March 24, 1855- Andrew Mellon, financier, industrialist
March 24, 1874- Harry Houdini, magician
March 24, 1893- George Sisler, baseball player
March 24, 1930- Steve McQueen, actor
March 24, 1970- Lara Flynn Boyle, actress
March 24, 1973- Jim Parsons, American actor, “Sheldon” on TV show “Big Bang Theory”
March 24, 1976- Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts All Star Quarterback
March 25, 1871- Gutzon Borglum, sculpted Mt. Rushmore
March 25, 1918- Howard Cosell, American Sportscaster
March 25, 1934- Gloria Steinem, author
March 25, 1942- Aretha Franklin, singer
March 25, 1922- Paul Michael Glaser, actor, director
March 25, 1947- Elton John, English singer, songwriter, musician
March 25, 1965- Sarah Jessica Parker, actress
March 25, 1982- Danica Patrick, American NASCAR race car driver
March 26, 1874- Robert Frost, poet
March 26, 1911- Tennessee Williams, playwright
March 26, 1930- Sandra Day O’Connor, Supreme Court justice
March 26, 1931- Leonard Nimoy, actor, director, “Spock” in “Star Trek”
March 26, 1934- Alan Arkin, actor
March 26, 1939- James Caan, actor
March 26, 1940- Nancy Pelosi, American Democratic party congresswoman, Speaker of the House
March 26, 1944- Diana Ross, singer, actress
March 26, 1950- Martin Short, actor, comedian
March 26, 1960- Marcus Allen, NFL running back, sportscaster
March 26, 1962- John Stockton, basketball player
March 27, 1845- Wilhelm Roentgen, scientist, discovered X-rays
March 27, 1899- Gloria Swanson, actress
March 27, 1931- David Janssen, actor, “The Fugitive”
March 27, 1940- Cale Yarborough, auto racer
March 27, 1963- Randall Cunningham, NFL Quarterback
March 27, 1963- Quentin Tarantino, actor, director
March 27, 1970- Mariah Carey, American singer and actress
March 28, 1899- August Anheuser Busch Jr.,Beer baron
March 28, 1921- Dirk Bogarde, actor
March 28, 1944- Ken Howard, actor
March 28, 1955- Reba McEntire, country western singer
March 28, 1981- Julia Stiles, actress
March 28, 1986- Lady Gaga, American singer, songwriter, actress
March 29, 1790- John Tyler, 10th U.S. President (1841-1845)
March 29, 1867- Cy Young, baseball pitcher
March 29, 1916- Eugene McCarthy, senator, presidential nominee
March 29, 1918- Pearl Bailey, singer, entertainer
March 29, 1918- Sam Walton, founded Wal-Mart
March 29, 1945- Walt Frazier, basketball player
March 29, 1955- Earl Campbell, football player
March 29, 1963- M. C. Hammer, rap singer
March 29, 1964- Elle MacPherson, Australian actress, super model
March 29, 1968- Lucy Lawless, actress
March 29, 1976- Jennifer Capriati, tennis player
March 30, 1853- Vincent van Gogh, Dutch painter
March 30, 1929- Richard Dysart, actor
March 30, 1930- John Astin, actor
March 30, 1937- Warren Beatty, actor, director
March 30, 1945- Eric Clapton, musician, singer, songwriter
March 30, 1957- Paul Reiser, actor
March 30, 1962- M.C. Hammer, rapper
March 30, 1968- Celine Dion, singer
March 31, 1596- René Descartes, philosopher, mathematician
March 31, 1732- Franz Joseph Haydn, composer
March 31, 1811- Robert Wilhelm Eberhard von Bunsen, invented the Bunsen Burner
March 31, 1878- Jack Johnson, first Afro-American boxer to win heavyweight crown
March 31, 1927- Cesar Chavez, labor leader
March 31, 1928- Gordie Howe, hockey player
March 31, 1929- Liz Claiborne, fashion designer
March 31, 1932- John Jakes, author
March 31, 1934- Shirley Jones, actress, singer
March 31, 1935- Herb Albert, musician
March 31, 1935- Richard Chamberlain, actor
March 31, 1943- Christopher Walken, actor
March 31, 1948- Al Gore Jr., vice president , presidential candidate
March 31, 1948- Rhea Perlman, actress