March 24th

Born this day in 1820, Fanny Crosby,poet and the most prolific hymnist in history. Crosby wrote over 8,000 hymns in her life time. Blind since she was an infant, which Crosby understood as more of gift from God, allowing her to see music. Crosby also wrote under 200 different pen names. Because her publishers didn't want the public to know Crosby wrote most of the hymns. At the age of 15, her mother sent Crosby to The Institution For The Blind in New York City. Crosby was born outside New York City in Putman County. And at the age of 23, Crosby spoke before Congress with 19 other blind students. Requesting funding for the education of the blind. Crosby wrote a poem. This a life changing experience, many of the politicians befriended Crosby. Fanny married her sweetheart since she was 20, Alexander VanAlstyne at the age of 37, a good marriage of 44 years. One child that died as an infant. Crosby always created from her heart, honest and filled with joy and love. Her music is still used worldwide. Fanny Crosby could call friends from all walks of life, to several American Presidents, to the poor in need of her comfort. All prefect in the eyes that see all. Fanny wrote her first poem at the age of 11 and died at the age of 94, almost 95. 83 years of music and poetry!
Crosby's first book, The Blind Girl and Other Poems,published 1843, Her books of poems published Monterey And Other Poems (1849); A Wreath Of Columbia's Flowers (1859); Bells At Evening And Other Poems (1898); and Memories Of Eighty Years (1907).

March 23rd

Today 2011, Elizabeth Taylor died. A woman who when most of the world were fear-filled about HIV- AIDS; Taylor went to work to raise money for research. But, most importantly,Taylor shared her compassion and understanding educating people about this disease that claims the lives of millions world-wide. I am honored by her courage. And saddened by her death. Many angels are greeting Elizabeth home.

www.dameelizabethtaylor.com/AIDS.html www.elizabethtayloraidsfoundation.org

March 22nd

This is what the Equal Rights Amendment states:

"Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex."

In 2001 the Equal Rights Amendment was re-introduced to Congress. It did not pass.
And as reported on December 10th, 2010 The 111th Senate introduced the Equal Rights Amendment. Learn more about women's rights and where they stand in "Legal Terms."

www.equalrightsamendment.org

March 21st

Born this day in 1866, Antonia Maruy, American astronomer. Antonia's family were very learned. Maruy herself graduated from Vassar College with honors in 1887. Because of her aunt Anna Draper, gave an endowment to the Harvard College Observatory. In 1888,Maruy was hired by Pickering "as a computer to join his other female computers." Maruy cataloged and computed stellar spectra for the stars in the northern hemisphere.
Now, Maruy was brilliant and understood that that Pickering's information gathering was flawed and she was not just a "human computer" as Pickering thought. Maruy concepts of theoretical work was perfect to improve this process. And she did, no matter what Pickering thought or said.

she rearranged "Fleming's scheme to reflect the temperature of stars". Maruy added, "dimension" describing spectral lines, 'a' for wide and well defined, 'b' for hazy but relatively wide and of the intensity as 'a', 'c' for spectra in which the H lines and "Orion lines" narrow and sharply defined, whereas calcium lines were more intense. 'ac' for stars having characteristics of both 'a' and 'c'.

Because, Antonia Maruy stood her ground, her work at Harvard was off again on again. Picketring was not interested in Maruy's work. But, other astronomers around the world were!
Maruy's category scheme of stellar spectra and that the "'c' characteristic....represented a fundamental property of the stars".
And when Ejnar Hetrtzsprung published his work and discoveries of red stars as two types dwarfs and giants, they were the same that Maruy catalogued with her "c-characteristic." To which Hertzsprung stated, "In my opinion the separation of Antonia C. Maruy of the c- and ac- stars is the most important advancement in stellar classification since the trails by Vogel and Secchi." High praise, for a female computer. "Maruy also co-discovered the first example of spectroscopic binaries, Mizar in Ursa Major, in 1899 and then the second, Beta Aurigae. She was the first to calculate their orbits."

March 20th

Born this day in 1845, Lucy Myers Wright Mitchell, archaeologist, author and expert of ancient art. A History of Ancient Sculpture and Selections of Ancient Sculpture Both books were published in 1883

Mitchell wrote the first book on classical sculpture published by an
American and was one of the first women to study seriously classical archaeology. She
represented the transition from amateur to professional in American classical
archaeology.

Born this day in 1849, Maria Longworth Nichols Storer, founder of the Rookwood Pottery of Cincinnati,Ohio. As many women of the day painting ceramics was a popular practice. In 1876, Maria (pronounced Mar-EYE-a)own work was on display at the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia. It was here that Longworth attended the ceramics of Japan. The exhibition inspired Longwoth's work like none other and truly her muse in her own ceramics. Longworth's art was amazing and her name as an artist was world re-noune. In 1879, Maria started her own pottery.
Her work was exhibited at the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia. While attending the exhibition she was captivated by the ceramics on display from Japan. The Japanese aesthetic was to be her greatest artistic influence. Wanting "a place of my own where things could be made," Maria rented a studio at Frederick Dallas' Hamilton Road Pottery in 1879. When this proved unfavorable, she decided to start her own pottery. Joseph Bailey chemist and potter headed up a small staff of both man and women. In 1882, Longworth won a gold medal at the Tenth Cincinnati Industrial Exposition for her work. In 1889 she won a gold medal at the Paris Exposition and it is in 1889 that Longworth handed the company over to William W. Taylor.
It must be noted that during this time, Longworth's first husband Nicholas died and within a few months, Maria married Bellamy Storer. And his work took them to Europe.