1. Women’s History Month

2. Women’s History Month in the United States grew out of a weeklong celebration of women’s contributions to culture, history and society organized by the school district of Sonoma, California, in 1978. Presentations were given at dozens of schools, hundreds of students participated in a “Real Woman” essay contest and a parade was held in downtown Santa Rosa.

3. Kathryn Bigelow is an award-winning film director, best known for her work in "Strange Days" and "The Hurt Locker."

4. Lucille Ball (1911-1989) was a beloved actress and comedian, best known for her role in the TV series "I Love Lucy" from 1951 to 1957.

5. The "First Lady of Song," jazz great Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996) made her singing debut at the Apollo Theater at age 17. She won 13 Grammy Awards during her lifetime.

6. Born in 1954, Oprah Winfrey is an American television host, philanthropist, entrepreneur and media personality. Her self-titled talk show attracts millions of viewers a day.

7. Born in 1949, Meryl Streep is a renowned film actress. She has won two Academy Awards and received 16 nominations as of 2010, more than any other actor.

8. Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986) was a central figure in 20th-century American art known for her abstract paintings and representations of natural forms.

9. Born Madonna Louise Ciccone in 1958, Madonna is an entertainment icon best known for her lengthy music career.

10. Mary Cassatt (1844-1926) was a leading American Impressionist painter who often portrayed the private lives of women in her work.

11. Pearl S. Buck (1892-1973) was an acclaimed American writer and the first American woman to win the Nobel Prize in literature.

12. Born in Alabama in 1926, Harper Lee wrote the best-selling novel "To Kill a Mockingbird," which won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1961.

13. Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888) was an American writer best known for the classic novel "Little Women."

14. Born in Amherst, Massachusetts, in 1830, Emily Dickinson is regarded as one of the greatest American poets. Most of her work was published after her death in 1886.

15. Marian Anderson (1897-1993) was the first African American singer to perform at the Metropolitan Opera. She famously sang at the Lincoln Memorial at the height of the struggle for civil rights.

16. Women's History Month is an annual declared month that highlights the contributions of women to events in history and contemporary society. It is celebrated during March in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, corresponding with International Women’s Day on March 8, and during October in Canada.

17. Source http://www.history.com/topics/holidays/wom ens-history-month/pictures/women-in-the- arts/italy-the-hurt-locker-photo-call-65th- venice-film-festival