Womanica

Miriam Lee (1926-2009) was one of the pioneering acupuncturists in America, responsible for acupuncture being legalized in California. History classes can get a bad wrap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum? Enter, Womanica. On this Wonder Media Netw...

Henrietta Lacks (1920-1951) unknowingly shaped modern medicine.  For the last seventy years, scientists have used cells taken from her body–without her knowledge or permission–to develop vaccines, conduct research, and more.  History classes can get a bad wrap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredi...

Mary Putnam Jacobi (1842-1906) was a doctor who empowered women to become physicians by raising the level of medical education for women and overcoming public doubt about women’s capabilities to study and practice medicine. History classes can get a bad wrap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredibl...

Jane Hodgson (1915-2006) was a doctor who fought fiercely for abortion rights. In 1970, three years before Roe v. Wade, she became the first doctor arrested for performing an illegal abortion in a hospital. She did so intentionally, to challenge–and change–her state’s law. History classes can get a bad wrap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where...

Alice Hamilton (1869-1970) was a pioneer in the fields of industrial toxicology and occupational health. Her work helped pave the way for significant improvements in workplace safety and for landmark legislation like the Occupational Safety and Health Act. History classes can get a bad wrap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladi...

Patricia Goldman-Rakic (1937-2003) was a neuroscientist whose invaluable discoveries helped us understand a once-mysterious part of the brain. Her research changed the way the scientific community views cognition, and opened up new ways of treating disorders like schizophrenia, ADHD, and Parkinson’s. History classes can get a bad wrap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we could...

Ogino Ginko (1851-1913) was Japan’s first female doctor of Western medicine. After suffering humiliating treatment at the hands of male doctors, she set out to become a doctor herself, one who would provide compassionate, respectful care. History classes can get a bad wrap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so...

Gertrude B. Elion (1918-1999) was a Nobel Prize-winning chemist. With an insatiable thirst for knowledge, she relentlessly pursued a career in the sciences when few laboratories took female candidates seriously. History classes can get a bad wrap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories mi...

Joycelyn Elders (1933-present) is a pediatrician and public health advocate who served as Surgeon General of the United States. Her research and dedication to public health was questioned at most every turn, especially regarding her support of sex ed curriculums, which are still taught in schools across the country. History classes can get a bad wrap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were st...

Selma Dritz (1917-2008) was a compassionate physician and epidemiologist. She tracked the first known cases of AIDS in San Francisco, and is remembered as an early hero of the AIDS epidemic. History classes can get a bad wrap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typica...

Indra Devi (1899-2002) was known as the “first lady of yoga." While she recognized yoga as a deeply spiritual discipline, she also knew how to use her high profile connections to popularize the practice and bring it into the mainstream. History classes can get a bad wrap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so m...

Angélique du Coudray (1712-1794) transformed the practice of midwifery in eighteenth century France. Her work was so invaluable that the king of France himself recognized her contributions and funded her teaching.  History classes can get a bad wrap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories...

Suzanne Aubert (1835-1926) founded a religious order in New Zealand, made it her life’s work to care for the sick and underserved, and could become New Zealand’s first saint. History classes can get a bad wrap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum? En...

Virginia Apgar (1909-1974) was a pioneering obstetric anesthesiologist who designed a test that still saves newborns every day. She was also the first woman to become a full professor at Columbia University. History classes can get a bad wrap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missin...

Lina Wertmüller (1928-2021) was the first woman to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Director. Known for her ability to blend sex, politics, farce and tragedy, she spent her career creating disruptive, deeply idiosyncratic films.  History classes can get a bad wrap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were s...

Homai Vyarawalla (1913-2012) is known as India’s first woman photojournalist. Her images captured a politically charged era in India’s history on its journey toward independence. History classes can get a bad wrap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum...

Carolee Schneemann (1939-2019) was bold with her art. She moved between forms like video and performance, though she always maintained she was a painter. Her work challenged people to see women -- their roles, and their bodies -- in a different light. History classes can get a bad wrap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at...

Betye Saar (1926-present) continuously creates inventive, thought-provoking, and political pieces of art out of objects that she collects from all over the world. Her work has sparked entire social movements.  History classes can get a bad wrap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories miss...

Lorraine O'Grady (1934-present) is a ground-breaking conceptual artist, who didn’t enter the art world until she was in her 40s. History classes can get a bad wrap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum? Enter, Womanica. On this Wonder Media Network po...

Alice Neel (1900-1984) was one of the most important portrait artists of the 20th century. Her honest, depictions of family, friends, artists and intellectuals, and particularly female nudes continue to make her an extraordinarily influential artist today. History classes can get a bad wrap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladi...

Graciela Iturbide (1942-present) is a Mexican photographer who has portrayed Mexico’s challenges and surprises for more than 50 years with poetry and dedication. Her high-contrast, black and white photographs are iconic in Mexican pop culture. History classes can get a bad wrap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why we...

Paula Modersohn-Becker (1876-1907) was a groundbreaking Expressionist, who revolutionized the way female bodies were treated by Western art.  History classes can get a bad wrap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum? Enter, Womanica. On this Wonder Med...

Joan Mitchell (1925-1992) was an abstract expressionist painter, known for her animated and dynamic brushstrokes made up of bright, intense colors. She received many accolades over the course of her career and her art continues to be displayed in major public collections including at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the MOMA, and the Tate Gallery. History classes can get a bad wrap, and sometimes f...

Ana Mendieta (1948-1985) grounded her work through what she called, a “universal energy.” She used mud, earth, flowers, and even blood in her art to evoke the emotional, and at times harrowing, inspirations behind her performances. History classes can get a bad wrap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many i...

Vivian Maier (1926-2009) was one of the most accomplished street photographers of the late 20th century whose work was only recognized after her death. History classes can get a bad wrap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum? Enter, Womanica. On this...