Posted on December 17, 2021
This is an update of my post published on December 17, 2010:
Born in 1706, this French mathematician and physicist was (unfortunately for her career) a woman. In order to gain entry to Gradot’s coffeehouse to participate in scientific discussions, she dressed up like a man. She translated Sir Isaac Newton’s Principia, and for many years hers was the only translation into French of this important work.
Isn’t it sad that a woman at that time would have to pretend to be a man so that she could travel where she needed or wanted to go, learn what she needed or wanted to know, or do what she needed or wanted to accomplish?
By the way, trans men are not women pretending to be men in order to do the things they want to do; they are men. Please don’t get the two mixed up.
Also on this date:
Anniversary of the first Saturnalia Festival
Bhutan’s National Day
Anniversary of the publishing of A Christmas Carol
Anniversary of the discovery of an Aztec calendar stone
Second night of Las Posadas
Anniversary of first successful airplane flight
Anniversary of NYC’s First One-Way Street
Anniversary of the cancelation of a UFO Project
Celebrating educator / speaker / activist Maria W. Stewart
Anniversary of the premiere of the Unfinished Symphony
Plan ahead:
Check out my Pinterest pages on:
-
December holidays
-
December birthdays
-
Historical anniversaries in December
And here are my Pinterest boards for:
-
January holidays
-
January birthdays
-
Historical anniversaries in January