In the season of womanhood

Patience, perseverance, courage and confidence are only some of the words associated with womanhood. Commemorating the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York, 1911 Woman's Day is celebrated on March 8 every year. Flipping the pages of history, I found more to present than that.

Two very famous events that mark the awakening of women highlight the day. A little remembrance of a historic coronation and birth anniversaries of famous and prominent women in diverse fields might make the day more special.
The fight for women's liberation dates back to 1857 when the women of the textile factories staged a protest against poor working conditions and low wages on this same day. This enabled women to establish their first labor union in this same month two years later. More protests followed on 8th March in subsequent years.
This is the memorable day on which Susan B. Anthony testified before the Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives arguing for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution granting women the right to vote on. She was a great force that pushed the anti-slavery and temperance movements in New York, organizing the first woman's state temperance society in America. Anthony is known as 'The mother of us all.'

On the eve of World War I, women across Europe held peace rallies on 8 March 1913.
Demonstrations marking International Women's Day in Russia proved to be the first stage of the Russian Revolution. Following the October Revolution, the Bolshevik feminist Alexandra Kollontai persuaded Lenin to make it an official holiday, and during the Soviet period it continued to celebrate "the heroic woman worker". However, the holiday quickly lost its political flavour and became an occasion for men to express their sympathy or love to the women around them - somewhat similar to Western Mother's Day and St Valentine's Day mixed together.

Now, let's shift to the interesting or entertaining fragments of information that beautify this day.

Very unexpectedly, Anne Stuart ascended the throne in 1702 to become Queen Anne when England and Scotland combined into a single kingdom. She held the pride of the first sovereign of Great Britain.

Anna Held, Polish born actress and singer was born on this day. Because of her bubbly personality her career as a stage performer gained momentum and soon was known for her risqué songs. The best aspect of Held was that she spent the days of World War I touring France, performing for the French soldiers and raising money for the war effort. She was highly regarded for her courage in traveling to the war front to be where she could do the most. She also did two Hollywood films.

Another famous film personality born on this day was Lynn Redgrave. She is a British-American actress born into a notable acting family. Starting off with a small part she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Twice nominated for Tony Awards, she is the winner of the Sarah Siddons Award for her work in Chicago theatre.

Other women of the tinsel world who share this birthday are Cynthia Rothrock, an actress specializing in Martial arts films, owner of five black belts and an inspiration for the video game character Sonya Blade; Claire Trevor famous for bad girl appearance; Cyd Charisse famous for her sequence from the movie 'Singin' in the Rain', Susan Clark and Camryn Manheim - actress best known for her role as attorney "Ellenor Frutt" on the ABC legal drama The Practice. Manheim is an avid human rights activist with a focus on women's rights who maintains a website to interact with fans.

Stepping out of the film kingdom March 8 is also the birthday of the Russian, Lidia Pavlovna Skoblikova - the most successful Olympic speed skater in terms of Olympic gold medals. Representing the USSR Olympic team during the Olympic Winter Games in 1960 and 1964 she won a total of six gold medals, still a record number for a speed skater. She also won 25 gold medals at the World Championships and 15 gold medals at the USSR National Championships. She was also the first athlete to earn six gold medals in the Olympic Winter Games.
Among the feminine celebrities that deceased today are Karen Morley - an American film actress who gained prominence in Hollywood in the early 1930s and winner of the Tony Award for Best Supporting Actress, Peggy Cass, a renowned comedienne.
Finally, let's celebrate womanhood finding its true essence.

Ends.