Thursday, August 1, 2013

Happy Birthday Maria Mitchell!

Because I didn't already love Google enough, today’s homepage doodle honors astronomer Maria Mitchell. She is the second woman scientists featured in just a week (July 25th was Rosalind Franklin)! To celebrate, check out these facts about the birthday girl...

1. Maria was the first… American female professional astronomer (1849), female member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1848) and American Association for the Advancement of Science (1850), and astronomy professor at Vassar College (1865).

2. Maria was related to Benjamin Franklin; she was his first cousin four times removed.

3. On October 1, 1847 at 10:30 P.M., she discovered comet C/1847 T1 using her telescope. Subsequently, it became designated as “Miss Mitchell’s Comet.”

4. On learning that, despite her prominence, several younger male faculty members received larger salaries, she demanded and was granted a pay increase. Make it rain, girl!

5. She became friends with suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton and co-founded the American Association for the Advancement of Women.

Check-out Maria’s birthday Google Doodle below:





For more information visit:

MARIA MITCHELL: Google celebrates pioneering astronomer’s stellar career

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