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A Smattering of Women's History |
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by Sandra Ahten
Email: spiritofsandra (nospam) hotmail.com (unverified!) |
02 Mar 2002
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March is Women's History Month. This timeline is a Smattering of Women's History- much of it from the annals of Champaign-Urbana History. A version of this timeline will appear in the March edition of the Publi i. |
A Smattering of Women’s History
Compiled by Sandra Ahten, with assistance from Colleen Brodie, Deb Hart, Carol Inskeep, Christine Lockmon, Shelley Masar, Esther Patt, Terri Pepper, Aimee Rickman, Jenny Southlynn, Kathie Spegal, Shalia Simmons, Mary Lee Sargent, librarians and archivist at Champaign, Urbana, Parkland and U of I.
1597 Condom invented. (It was linen)
1869 The electric vibrator has its inception, with the invention of a steam-powered massager, patented by an American doctor designed as a medical tool for treating "female disorders."
1870 Twenty four women admitted to U of I (3 years after founding).
1892 Katherine Merrill becomes the first woman professor at U of I (Assistant Prof. of Literature).
1899 First vasectomy performed. Unfortunately it was on a prisoner in Jeffersonville IN for purposes of treating chronic masturbation. It was not popularized as a form of birth control until 1970s.
1906 Maudelle Brown, graduates with honors in mathematics in 3 years from the U of I. She was the first African-American woman graduate.
1914 Polly Jacob’s takes out a patent for the first bra. The so-called inventor of the bra, Otto Titzling, never took out a patent and most disclaim his claims. The is true same for Philippe de Brassiere. Olga Erteszek, however, held 28 bra patents. Ida (Maidenform) Rosenthal later added such refinements as sized cups. Prior to the bra, women were squeezed into corsets which, when tightened to stylish thinness, constricted their organs, and caused serious illnesses, or if large breasted, women strapped their breasts down using bindings. Marie Tucek’s did patent a "breast supporter" in 1893- though it didn’t take off.
1929 Tampons first marketed; although tampons had actually been in use for 1000 of years, including about 1550 BCE when an Egyptian described how lint (fetet) inserted into the vagina could prevent conception.
1930 First stewardess- on United Airlines. They had to be registered nurses.
1940 Frances Nelson, Champaign, (for whom the Frances Nelson Health Center is named) opens her home to African-American children in need. Later the Optimist Club would help build her a new home which became the Frances Nelson Home.
1945 First U of I, Ph.D. Engineer, Rosiland Yalow graduates with a degree in Physics among 400 men.
1945 Vashti Cromwell McCollum, Champaign, files a writ of mandamus with the County Circuit Court arguing the inappropriateness of the Christian Sunday School type programs in her sons public school curriculum. She and her family suffered through vandalism to their home, harassment of the children, attempt to fire her husband, termination of her employment as an adjunct instructor. (He had tenure with the U of I, she did not). The Circuit Court decided it violated neither the IL or U.S. Constitution. It was appealed and the Il Supreme Court agreed. It was appealed to the U.S. Supreme court and in what was to become a landmark decision in constitutional law the decision was reversed. All cases, involving school prayers, aid to parochial schools, and other "church and state" incursions descend from this case. It was ruled in 1948, but took Champaign schools four more years to comply.
1953 Polyester invented.
1959 Barbie invented.
1960 The FDA approves birth control pills.
1962 A picket of J.C. Penny's to protest the store's racist hiring policies and treatment of customer's was organized by Mary Alexander and other women members of the African American community in Champaign.
1962 Delores Huerta, a long-time Chicana labor activist, co-founds the United Farm Workers union.
1964 Patsy Mink (D-HI) is the first Asian-American woman elected to the US Congress.
1967 Chicago Women’s Liberation Group organizes, considered the first to use the term "liberation."
1971 Jacqueline Flenner and Cheryl Frank purchase a duplex at 401 W. California, Urbana, for women in transition. This becomes the first battered women’s shelter in the United States. Champaign County Women Against Rape is formed. These would, in time, become A Woman’s Fund umbrella over three organizations: Rape Crisis Services; A Woman’s Place; and Eliminating Violence Through Education. Women in need can contact them at: (Rape Hotline) 355-5203; (Domestic Violence) 384-4390.
1972 First issue of "Cosmopolitan" published. (also see 1980)
1973 Joan Severns elected to Champaign City Council. The first woman was Gladys Snyder in 1962. Severns went on to become the first and only mayor of Champaign in 1979.
1974 Women’s Studies Program established under the direction of Judy Riggs at Parkland College.
1976 The Lavender Prairie News, one of the longest running lesbian publications in the US was founded. It published continuously until 2000.
1977 Good Vibrations, worker-owned, women-owned cooperative publishes first catalog promoting sexual health and pleasure.
1978 The first Take Back the Night March was held in C-U on on the steps of the Wesley United Methodist Church.
1978 Weight Watchers encourages members to eat liver and tuna 5 times a week.
1978 The anti-diet book "Fat is a Feminist Issue" is published.
1979 U of I Woman’s Studies Program founded.
1980 Anorexia added as a diagnosis to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders (DSM).
1981 First Champaign meeting of the National Council of Negro Women was held.
1981 The Grassroots Group of Second Class Citizens, a radical feminist and lesbian direct action group, was founded in September of 1981. It lasted until 1992 and organized several acts of civil disobedience for ratification of the ERA in 1982, resulting in the arrest and jailing of the group.
1982 Jenny Southlynn, Peggy Shaw, Barbara DeGeneive, Susan Smith, Pauline Kayes and a collective of 42 other women open the New Muse Art Gallery on Chester Street. The space operated as a professional gallery for one year then fell apart due to divergent feminist views. Southlynn moved what remained of the collective to her studio at 115 W. Main in downtown Urbana. The New Muse enjoyed one more year of shows and events there. The UIUC’s Gallery 9 was spawned from the New Muse concept. Gallery 9 moved to Chicago and became I Space.
1984 Flora Faraci opens Jane Addams Book Shop in Champaign. The store is a general antiquarian store with an outstanding Woman’s Studies section.
1986 Women Take Liberty, a feminist pacifist celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty and a counter-demonstration to the corporate and militarized official celebration, was organized from C-U.
1987 Susan Faupel, then Program Director of a Woman’s Place, walks from Chicago to the Arkansas State capitol to bring awareness to issues of domestic violence. The walk was dubbed "Off the Beaten Path."
1988 Charlene Teters stands alone outside of an Illini game to demonstrate her indigence at the use of "The Chief" as the team mascot after it became evident that her teenage children's self esteem was undermined by the use of this image of Indians. A movement is born.
1990 Zelema Harris becomes first woman and first African-American president of Parkland.
1990 Kristina Boerger founds Amasong, Champaign-Urbana’s Premier Lesbian/ Feminist Chorus.
1994 Hysteria removed as a diagnosis from the DSM.
1994 Bonnie Blair, Champaign native, captures her sixth career Olympic medal and emerges as U.S. history’s most decorated winter athlete, as well as the record holder for the most gold medals (5) won by an American woman in any sport.
1996 GirlZone offers first workshop. GirlZone is a volunteer-run, non-profit, grassroots, feminist organization in Champaign-Urbana which uses local resources to encourage and support girls in exploring, challenging, and celebrating their individual abilities and interests.
1996 A Woman’s Place moves into new facility at 1304 E. Main, Urbana under the directorship of Shirley Stillinger.
1997 SisterNet, a network of African-American women community leaders and activists dedicated to promoting women's physical, intellectual, spiritual,and emotional health, is organized by Imani Bazzell of Champaign.
1998 According to the US Dept. of Justice approximately 1 million women are stalked each year, and an estimated 1.9 million are battered and about one-third of homicides committed annually are women killed by an intimate partner.
2000 Patricia Avery becomes first woman and first Champaign County Board Chair.
2000 Jean Driscol of Champaign is the only eight-time champion of the Boston Marathon in its 100+ year history and is named #25 of the top 100 female athletes of the 20th century by Sports Illustrated for Women.
2001 American Airlines is sued when employees learn that their health plan covers Viagra but not mammograms
2001 Nancy Cantor, first serve as Chancellor at UIUC.
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