nPostednon November 28, 2015
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| Lady Astor |
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nOnnthis date in 1919, Lady Astor was elected as a Member of Parliamentnof the United Kingdom.
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nShenwasn’t the first woman to be elected MP, but she was the firstnwoman to sit in the House of Commons as an MP. n
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n(Inn1918 Countess Markievicz, from Ireland, was elected to the BritishnHouse of Commons, but she was working for Ireland’s independence nfrom the U.K., and so she and 72 other Sinn Fein members who werenalso elected to represent Ireland refused to sit in Parliament. Thisnabstentionist policy was part of the political and military actionsnthat resulted in the Republic of Ireland.)
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nOkay,nback to Lady Astor, who was really the first woman to serve as MP: n
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nShenwas born Nancy Witcher Langhorne in America in 1879, and she marriednan American man (a Mr. Shaw) at age 18. However, the marriage wasnunhappy, and she ended up divorcing her husband and moving to Englandnto start again. n
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Nownnamed Nancy Shaw, she was known as a beautiful, witty, and oftennunexpected young woman whose “saucy” conversation yet prudishnbehavior confused many Brits. She met another American, WaldorfnAstor, who had moved to England when he was 12 years old. They hit itnoff! Astor was raised to be an aristocrat, and when Nancy Shawnmarried him, they moved to a posh estate in the country and a poshnhouse in London. Now named Nancy Astor, she busied herself hostingnparties and other get-togethers with the social elite. Her husbandnwas elected a Member of Parliament, serving in the House of Commons,nbut when his father died Mr. Astor became Sir Astor as he took thentitle of Viscount; he was automatically moved up to the House ofnLords, and his seat became available in the House of Commons.
Nownnamed Nancy Shaw, she was known as a beautiful, witty, and oftennunexpected young woman whose “saucy” conversation yet prudishnbehavior confused many Brits. She met another American, WaldorfnAstor, who had moved to England when he was 12 years old. They hit itnoff! Astor was raised to be an aristocrat, and when Nancy Shawnmarried him, they moved to a posh estate in the country and a poshnhouse in London. Now named Nancy Astor, she busied herself hostingnparties and other get-togethers with the social elite. Her husbandnwas elected a Member of Parliament, serving in the House of Commons,nbut when his father died Mr. Astor became Sir Astor as he took thentitle of Viscount; he was automatically moved up to the House ofnLords, and his seat became available in the House of Commons.n
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nNownnamed Viscountess Astor (addressed as Lady Astor) wondered why SHEnshouldn’t have that seat! Despite the fact that she hadn’t beenninvolved in the women’s suffrage movement, hadn’t been imprisoned fornthe cause, hadn’t really paid her dues (some said), she ran and wonnand became the first woman to take her seat in Parliament.
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nBitsnabout Lady Astor
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nDidn you notice how many times this woman changed her name? I guess wen could give her full name as Viscountess (Lady) Nancy Witchern Langhorne Shaw Astor!
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The iconic Gibson Girl n
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nWhenn they met, Nancy and Waldorf Astor had a lot in common—they evenn shared the exact same birthday! Both were born on May 19, 1879.n
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nLadyn Astor’s sisters were also known for their beauty. One of hern sisters, Irene, married an illustrator named Charles Dana Gibson –n and she served as one of the models (perhaps the original model) forn his popular “Gibson Girls.”
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nHerenare some quotes from Lady Astor:
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nPioneersn may be picturesque figures, but they are often rather lonely ones.
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n Then main dangers in this life are the people who want to changen everything… or nothing.
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n Then only thing I like about rich people is their money.
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n Then penalty for success is to be bored by the people who used to snubn you.
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n Womenn have got to make the world safe for men since men have made it son darned unsafe for women.
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nAlsonon this date: n
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nAuthornand artist William Blake’s birthday
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nAnniversaryn of Magellan naming the Pacific Ocean
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nAnniversaryn of the first skywriting in U.S. skies
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nAlbania’sn Independence Day
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nBurundi’sn Republic Day
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nChad’sn Republic Day
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nMauritania’sn Independence Day
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nPanama’sn Independence Day
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nPlannahead:
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nChecknout my Pinterest boards for:
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nNovembern holidays
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nNovembern birthdays
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nHistoricaln anniversaries in November
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nAndnhere are my Pinterest boards for:
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nDecembern birthdays
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nHistoricaln anniversaries in December
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