To honor the accomplishments women have achieved throughout history, Women’s History Month is celebrated across America throughout March to commemorate the feats of both historical and modern female figures.
Women’s History Month was originally meant to be Women’s History Week. In March 1978, locals in Santa Rosa, California wanted to celebrate the accomplishments of women. This celebration eventually caught on across the country and became Women’s History Month.
History has been filled with great women such as Marilyn Monroe, Anne Frank, Michelle Obama, and Mother Teresa. Nothing can compare to the inspiration and impact they’ve had on the world.
Two notable female figures are Princess Diana and Amelia Earheart.
Princess Diana was born on July 1, 1961, into a privileged home with five siblings, with her being the fourth child.
In February of 1981, she and Prince Charles got engaged and soon married on July 29, 1981. Their marriage was globally watched by the public and held at St. Paul’s Cathedral.
During Princess Diana’s reign as the Princess of Wales, she was compassionate and vocal about many social issues during that time such as homelessness. Additionally, she advocated for HIV/AIDs awareness along with disproving misinformation that only gay men contract HIV/AIDs.
Diana also supported hardworking hospitals, charities for the homeless and other illnesses, and campaigns to ban landmines. On Aug. 31, 1997, Princess Diana died in a car crash in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in Paris.
Despite her death, Princess Diana left a major impact on the royal family and the public of England. On Sept. 6, 1997, about 32 million people in England watched her funeral while 2 billion people watched it worldwide.
Another notable figure is Amelia Earheart. Earheart, born July 24, 1897, took flying and stunt flying courses ever since she was 12. She became among the few women to attend a flying and stunt flying school.
In 1921, Earheart became the sixteenth woman to earn a flying license. Earheart won various awards over the years; her most famous one being the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean in 1932.
On July 2, 1937, Amelia went on an around-the-world flight. During the last part of her trip, Amelia’s navigator Fred Noonan said that Amelia disappeared over the Pacific Ocean.
Many people, both from the government and personal friends and family, tried to find Amelia Earheart. In Jan. 2024, unnamed deep-sea explorers discovered her plane in the Pacific Ocean.
Even though her plane was found, the impact she’s had on the world has had a strong impact on the flying industry.
Many students at Rancho Cucamonga High School have notable female figures in their lives that are both in history and their personal lives that should be honored this month.
“Harriet Tubman is a big inspiration for me,” freshman Jochebed Lindarto said. “I read about her in grade school and all the challenges she had to go through with being a person of color and a woman opened my eyes. She made me want to make a difference and has impacted my actions today.”
Another student, senior Emily Calvillo, shared how her grandmother is her most important role model in life.
“My biggest female inspiration is my grandmother,” Calvillo said. “As I was growing up she taught me kindness, hard work, and compassion. She has also taught me to stand up for others. She’s shaped me into who I am today.”
