?i AM MINDING
THE HEAVENS."
Caroline Herschel was born in Hannover,
Germany, in 1750. She was a very curious
child, but did not receive the education she
wanted because she was a girl. Instead, she
kept herself busy helping her older brother
John mind his career ? astronomy. She
soon became an expert at grinding and pol
ishing the lenses of the telescopes, and she
observed the sky for her brother when he
traveled on business. People began to
notice her, so the British King George III
gave her a pension for her work ? ttre first
time ever that a woman was paid for her
contributions. As the court's astronomer,
she discovered 14 nebulae and 8 comets,
and she made a catalogue of 2,500 star
clusters. To do all of this, she had to teach
herself math. She learned the multiplication
tables so late in life that she always had to
carry a copy in her pocket to help
her remember! Toward the end of her life,
in 1836, she was elected an honorary mem
ber of the Royal Astronomical Society ?
the first woman ever.
J
"WOMEN HAVE COME
A LONG WAY IN THE LAST
100 YEARS, BUT IT'S NO
TIME FOR THEM TO REST
ON THEIR LAURELS."
In 1972, Patricia Schroeder was elected for the
first time to the U.S. House of Representatives.
She was a successful lawyer before entering
politics, and she used her talents to support gun
control, equal pay and health benefits for
women, educational opportunities, and policies
that bettered the lives of families. In Congress,
she sat on many committees: the House Select
Committee on Children, Youth and Families,
the Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues,
the House Armed Services Committee and the
House Judiciary Committee. Patricia Schroeder
served the 93rd
to the 104th Congress in 11 terms, making her
the longest serving woman in the House of
Representatives. She retired from office in
December of 1996. Her political party, the
Democrats, found a true friend in Schroeder,
and she found a true home with them as well,
saying, "The Democratic Party can never be
perceived as the party of women... It is the
party for women."
Bibliography & Credits
In addition to the women profiled in this section, it is important to empha
size that millions of unknown women throughout history have also made
great strides in bettering the human condition. To find out more about the
cultural contributions of everyday SHEroes. please consult the following
books:
Sheroes by Varla Ventura
The Chalice and the Blade by Rianc Eislcr
Daughters of Time by Mary Kinnear
Women in the Middle Ages by Frances and Joseph Gies
Writing a Woman's Life by Carolyn G. Heilbrun. and
Women: From the Greeks to the French Revolution Susan Groag Bell, edi
lor.
The Newspaper In Education supplement "SHEroes of the World" was
created by the Newspaper In Education program of The Denver Post.
It is syndicated by agreement by Hoi lister KkIv All rights reserved.
The designer was Sierra Scaduto of HoKister Kids.
The writer wa^Jennifer Warren
The editors were Jill Scott and Peter I jmdry
The photo of Ranavalona was provided by Independent Picture Service.
The HoHirter Kids website is www.hollisterkids.com.