Life-Saving Contributions From 7 Women I’ll Bet You’ve Never Heard About

Recently, I had an engaging conversation on the Girls Can’t WHAT? Facebook page where a woman was convinced that women should be “Keepers at Home” – meaning they should be homemakers and nothing else. While I recognize that for some women this is a very rewarding and enjoyable role, it is not for everyone.  You cannot put all women in the same box. I’d be cutting an escape hatch out the back and I bet you’d be right behind me.

I would go absolutely stir crazy if I couldn’t do the things I love, which include playing drums, programming computers and playing sports. Oh and did I mention that I do all that while managing the household and taking care of my family?  Yes, it can be done.

Anyway… during the course of conversation, I began to point out life-saving contributions by women throughout history. Had these women chosen to stay-at-home and forego their amazing careers, the world as we know it would be a very scary place to live. I don’t recall ever studying any of these women in history class. Did you?

Rosalind Franklin (1920 – 1958): Mapped out DNA

In the 1950’s Rosalind Franklin helped map out the first double helix, a landmark event that opened the door to DNA research. Her work has helped us solve crimes more effectively, pinpoint disease more efficiently and make giant leaps in healthcare technology.

Dixie Lee Ray (1914-1994): Nuclear Energy Safety

Dixie Lee Ray was a Standford grad who became a marine biologist. She became the chairperson of the Atomic Energy Commission, where she created the Department of Safety and helped make the use of nuclear energy safer. She was also the first female governor for the state of Washington.

Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (1689 – 1762): Discovered the Small Pox Vaccine

When Mary saw that many children were dying of small pox, she went off in search of a cure. She came across a Turkish folk remedy and brought it back to England where it became the foundation for the first small pox vaccine. Countless lives have been saved from Mary’s discovery.

Helen Greiner (1967 – Present): Designed a Bomb-Diffusing Robot

Helen Greiner is a mechanical engineer with a master’s degree in computer science. She was one of three people who invented a bomb-diffusing robot that has spared a countless number of lives. In 2011, she was listed at #7 on the MIT150 list of the top 150 innovators and ideas from MIT.

Antonia Coello Novello (1944-present): First Woman Surgeon General

Antonia spent most of her childhood in and out of hospitals. Determined to help others, she studied to become a doctor and eventually became the first female Surgeon General of the United States in 1990.  Dr. Novello helped improve health care for women, children and minorities, as well as increasing education about AIDS, alcohol, and smoking.

Ellen Richards (1842-1911): Founded the study of Ecology

Ellen noticed that everything in the natural world was affected by pollutants in the environment.  She was the first to raise awareness of pollution. She went on to found two new fields of science: “Ecology”, the study of how living things are affected by the world around them, and “Euthenics”, the idea of improving people’s lives by improving the world.

Stephanie Kwolek (1923 – Present): Invented Kevlar

Stephanie was a chemist at DuPont and her research led to the invention of Kevlar, which is the material used in bullet-proof vests. This material has saved tens of thousands of lives around the world.

Now imagine a world without these ladies…

Ugh – I can’t do it.  It’s too awful. Heck, I’d probably be dead from smallpox by now.

Now it’s your turn – who else would you add to this list?  What other women can you think of that have made great life-saving contributions to our world?