The first day of the year is really just like any other day.
Many people are emboldened and excited by it because most cultures see it as a significant point in time. It is the beginning of a new year and like many temporal landmarks, it gives people the fresh-start effect which provides the psychological boost to pursue goals. As far as science is concerned, however, there is nothing about the first day of the year that naturally changes the world or affects lives more so than any other day can. And that is good news.
This means that any other day can be your “new year.” It can be the beginning of a new you, or a new phase in your life. You can walk into it thinking that everything will change for the better from this point onward.
Many of the women noted in this list know that feeling. On various days of January, they reached new milestones and some didn’t just change their lives; they changed the lives of others as well. By doing so, they made otherwise ordinary days all the more special.
January 2, 1991 – Sharon Pratt became the First Woman to be the Mayor of the District of Columbia
Marion Barry was so popular in the District of Columbia that he managed to win the mayoral seat multiple times in spite of the many controversies linked to his name.
He had that popularity in the late 1980s even as he suffered from drug and alcohol abuse and his city declined massively due to drug trade, drug wars, and a murder rate that kept escalating until DC had the highest one in all of the United States.
Still, he was challenged and the person to do so was a woman by the name of Sharon Pratt.
Supposedly unhappy with the decline of her hometown, Pratt openly challenged Barry’s dominance in the 1988 Democratic National Convention. When Barry was arrested over drug charges, Pratt—the only candidate to have announced her intention to run—was challenged by longtime councilmembers John Ray, Charlene Drew Jarvis and David Clarke.
In response, Pratt labeled them the “three blind mice” who “saw nothing, said nothing and did nothing as the city rapidly decayed.”
Of all the candidates, she was also the only one to demand Barry’s resignation while running outside of his political machine.
After a series of televised debates during the final weeks of the campaign, Pratt received an endorsement from The Washington Post; her poll numbers skyrocketed after that, eventually allowing her to win even though she had the smallest campaign staff and the least amount of money. On January 2, 1991, she was sworn into office.
January 3, 1949 – Margaret Chase Smith started her tenure in the Senate making her the first woman to serve in both the House and Senate of the United States
Once upon a time, Margaret Madeline Chase Smith was the longest-serving female senator of the United States. This distinction was surpassed on January 4, 2011 when Barbara Mikulski beat her record. But, there is at least one distinction that will forever be hers: the fact that she was the first woman to serve both houses of the US Congress. She began her tenure in the Senate on January 3, 1949.
Throughout her career, Smith tended to lean liberal when it came to domestic issues. She was also a strong supporter of national defense and security and an anti-communist. Still, she condemned the anti-communist “witch hunts” of Senator Joseph R. McCarthy through her somewhat 15-minute speech now known as “Declaration of Conscience.” She also criticized McCarthyism for supposedly turning the Senate into a “forum of hate and character assassination.”
Repeatedly reelected, she once eyed the presidency in 1964 saying “I have few illusions and no money, but I’m staying for the finish. When people keep telling you you can’t do a thing, you kind of like to try.”
January 4, 2007 – Nancy Pelosi became the first woman in the US to serve as Speaker of the House.
Nancy Pelosi has spent a great deal of time in the spotlight.
She was born as the only daughter of Thomas D’Alesandro Jr., a politician from Baltimore and because of this, her birth as the only girl among six children was deemed worthy of coverage. The media’s interest in their family didn’t fade after that since her father continued to pursue the milestones of his career as the public looked on.
When she became a member of Congress, she was also a standout because of the fact that she was one of only 23 women in a House composed of 435. And when the Iraq war happened under President George Bush, she was one of its most vocal and visible critics even though the majority of the House voted for it.
Pelosi wasn’t the kind of woman to shy away from the spotlight because of her opinions and her choices. And this was one of the qualities that convinced her colleagues that she is fit to be the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives—the first woman to ever hold such a powerful office.
This happened in January 4, 2007 and her voice has been louder since then.
After earning the speakership, she fiercely backed the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare.) She was also instrumental in repealing “don’t ask, don’t tell” which prevented open members of the LGBTQIA+ from military service and was a supporter of same-sex marriage.
She regained the speakership in 2019 and would move on to butt heads with then-president Donald Trump and right wingers who saw her as one of the most recognizable faces of the Democratic party. It was also under her leadership that the House impeached Trump twice for various offenses before passing some of the landmark bills of his successor Joe Biden.
Under her watch, Trump, following his election loss to Biden, goaded an insurrection that saw his supporters storming the Capitol looking for her. She didn’t quiver after this incident though. Pelosi, after all, has spent much of her life getting positive or negative attention from people. So, she responded to this by getting more: she rallied whatever support she could get to go after Trump for his post-election antics.
January 5, 1925 – Nellie Tayloe Ross was inaugurated as the first woman governor in U.S. history.
Wyoming wasn’t just the first American territory to allow women to vote; it was also the first to have a woman as its governor.
Her name was Nellie Tayloe Ross and on January 5, 1925, she was inaugurated into the role.
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, to James Wynns Tayloe and Elizabeth Blair Green, who owned a plantation, she grew up to be a teacher and taught kindergarten for four years.
She married William B. Ross who became a governor of Wyoming from 1923 up to his death. She then succeeded Frank Lucas (her husband’s successor) and won the governor’s seat during a special election.
As a politician, she was a strong supporter of Prohibition which sought to ban the production, importation, transportation and sale of alcohol. She lost her bid for re-election about a year after she won but she remained active in politics through her involvement with the Democratic Party.
January 6 – Ireland celebrates “Woman’s Christmas”
On the 12th day of Christmas my true love gave to me… a day off as a “reward” for all my hard work? Apparently, that used to be the case for some women in Ireland.
That’s a custom for the day called Nollaig na mBan which means “Woman’s Christmas” in English. Held on January 6, the same day as the Feast of the Epiphany (which commemorates the day the three wise men supposedly found Jesus Christ,) it is observed mostly in the Southern parts of Ireland.
On this day, the men traditionally take over the chores normally done by the “bean an tí” or the women of the house. The women, on the other hand, get a break to visit their friends or neighbors or just relax. The rationale behind this is the desire to show gratitude for women.
Dr. Marion McGarry, a lecturer and writer with vast knowledge of Irish traditions had this to add about it: “The big thing about Nollaig na mBan is it’s a day off for women,” she said during her interview with RTE. “According to Irish tradition, Nollaig na mBan celebrates all the hard work women put into the festive season by essentially giving them a day off.”
But there are also other ways by which it is observed. People go to mass, women gather in houses for tea and cake (and leftovers from the Christmas season,) and light candles.
In some parts of Ireland, Nollaig na mBan’s customs have evolved. The day is now being used to celebrate women and give them the spotlight. In Galway, for example, the city known for its love of the arts brings focus to female artists and initiatives that tend to tackle women’s issues. This is reflective of how much the country has changed.
Like many nations around the world, Ireland can still have issues concerning the way its women can be treated. But, the country has received high marks in the Gender Equality Index and its gender roles have become less rigid than they were before. These days, more men do household chores during, before and after Christmas. More women, on the other hand, have also become breadwinners, leaders and achievers who deserve days off and gratitude even when it isn’t their “Christmas.”
January 7, 1896 – Fannie Farmer introduced standardized cooking measurements through her first cookbook
American culinary expert Fannie Farmer once said this: “good judgment, with experience, has taught some to measure by sight. But the majority need definite guides.” And on January 7, 1896, she provided that.
Through “The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book,” Farmer introduced more science to the art of cooking by incorporating standardized measurements to encourage precision. This was her first and arguably most popular cookbook and it was one of her greatest contributions to the culinary world.
“It is my wish,” she wrote on the preface, “that [this] may not only be looked upon as a compilation of tried and tested recipes, but that it may awaken an interest through its condensed scientific knowledge which will lead to deeper thought and broader study of what to eat.”
This kind of output is essentially not new for Farmer who has spent a great deal of her life teaching and inspiring others.
She suffered a paralytic stroke when she was 16 and this forced her to stall her pursuit of a formal education at that time. After she recovered, she was employed as her mother’s helper and soon began showing fondness and talent for cooking, She eventually enrolled at the Boston Cooking School after being encouraged by her parents and after she graduated in 1889, she stayed to become its assistant director and, eventually, its head.
As an expert in food, Farmer didn’t just care about the taste recipes can produce; she also concerned herself with food’s contribution to one’s health even though her knowledge of it was largely intuitive. Her focus on nutrition made her a pioneer in the field even before it became as established as it is in contemporary times. She even wrote the book titled “Food and Cookery for the Sick and Convalescent.” Furthermore, she lectured at Harvard Medical School on nutrition and convalescent diet. She was one of the first women to do this at the institution.
During the last few years of her life, Farmer had to use a wheelchair to move around but she still wrote, invented recipes, and taught. Despite her difficulties, she proved herself #BeyondCapable of doing what made her famous: she continued teaching and inspiring.
January 7, 1955 – Marian Anderson became the first Black woman to sing a leading role with the Metropolitan Opera
Famed conductor Arturo Toscanini had this to say about American singer Marian Anderson: she had a voice “heard once in a hundred years.” But, because of the color of her skin, there were people in America who were willing to let that pass.
After high school, for example, she tried to enroll at the Philadelphia Music Academy but she was turned away because it was an all-white institution. In 1939, meanwhile, long after she had proven her talents by successfully touring around Europe as a singer, the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR,) still blocked her from performing to an integrated audience at the DAR Constitution Hall in Washington DC. They justified this by citing the venue’s “white-performers only” policy.
But there were those who had no problem giving Anderson a stage to perform in. Then-president Franklin Roosevelt, for example, invited her to perform at the White House. And after the DAR incident, his wife Eleanor—previously a member of DAR—left the group. She also supported Roosevelt’s campaign to get another venue for Anderson to perform in. This led to her widely-acclaimed open-air performance on the Lincoln Memorial steps in the capital on April 9, 1939. And on Janury 7, 1955, the Metropolitan Opera, finally chose a black artist to sing a leading role with them. Anderson was their choice.
Throughout her career, Anderson was billed as a contralto. But people have been questioning that designation. Among them was opera singer Denyce Graves.
“In the operatic world, the sopranos always are the leading ladies,” she said in a PBS interview. “I’ve sung some of Marian Anderson’s pieces and they were out of my tessitura meaning they were out of my range. And my voice is classified as a higher voice than hers.”
“[This is] one of the reasons why I believe that Marian Anderson was not classified as a soprano,” she added. “It’s because that would mean that she would be the love interest of a white counterpart which was not accepted at all at the time.”
Of course, she did eventually sing lead—regardless of the classification of her voice or the color of her skin.
January 8, 1870: Woman’s Journal, one of the leading women’s rights publications of its time, was launched.
Back in 1915, after state referendums on women’s suffrage failed in the United States, someone walked into the office of Woman’s Journal, a weekly American periodical that advocated for women’s voting rights. The visitor then gave the publication a check worth $1000 and said that she hoped that the money would at least cheer up “Miss Blackwell,” one of the people managing it.
This story was shared by Agnes Ryan, one of the publication’s editors. And, to her, it was telling of how much that publication meant to people.
Launched on January 8, 1870 in Boston, Massachusetts, Woman’s Journal attracted some of the most proactive supporters of women’s suffrage in America. It is a publication that served as a voice for women’s rights while putting the spotlight on news related to women and because of this, progressive minds huddled around it.
Founded by orator, abolitionist and suffragist Lucy Stone along with her husband, activist Henry Browne Blackwell, it later involved their daughter, the writer, translator and editor Alice Stone Blackwell. It incorporated Mary A. Livermore’s The Agitator, as well as the Woman’s Advocate. It also published the works of comedy writer Rosella Rice. Its editors, meanwhile, held leadership roles in various organizations so it did share office spaces with other groups involved in the suffrage movement.
Throughout its lifespan of a little over six decades, Woman’s Journal saw various stages of the movement to win voting rights for women in America. It saw the failed referendums, the protests, the disheartening developments and ultimately the consequential wins. It was close to the heart of the action and was very much appreciated by its people and its readers.
“We find working in the Woman’s Journal office year after year is in some ways like living in a fairy story,” said Ryan. “We never know what is going to happen next.”
January 9, 1918 – President Wilson publicly supported the suffrage movement.
Former United States President Woodrow Wilson didn’t have the most progressive views toward women. He didn’t like teaching them when he worked at Bryn Mawr College; he was openly prejudiced towards them and, for a time, he didn’t support the call to ensure that the whole of the United States afforded them the right to vote. And yet, on January 9, 1918, he publicly expressed support for the latter.
He claimed that his change of heart was due to World War I; that he saw how valuable women were in the war effort. In his speech, he asked this: “Shall we admit them only to a partnership of suffering and sacrifice and toil and not to a partnership of privilege and right?” Eventually, more legislators agreed that this shouldn’t be the case and so the 19th amendment to the US Constitution was passed. But it wasn’t merely the war that had an effect on Wilson’s mind.
Ever since he entered the presidency, he had been confronted by the women of the country. Suffragists have been protesting under the leadership of Alice Paul, a Quaker-raised, radical woman who found the need to push the president hard on the issue of women’s suffrage. Paul led consistent silent protests at the White House. She had “sentinels” standing there holding signs that criticized the president. She even questioned Wilson’s commitment to democracy because he didn’t do more to support the voting rights of a great chunk of the American population.
Eventually, her protests led to the arrests of her and her allies. In prison, they went on hunger strikes that forced authorities to force-feed them in ways that were dangerous to their health. Because of this, they gained more sympathy from the general public and that added to the pressure that Wilson faced.
Eventually, Wilson’s stance changed. He campaigned for the voting rights of women and in a matter of years, women like Paul moved from making their thoughts heard on the streets to sharing it on ballots.
January 10, 1918: Jeannette Rankin fights for women’s rights to vote with a memorable speech
American politician Jeannette Rankin is known for being a pacifist who stood against her country’s desire to wage war. But that shouldn’t suggest that she is unwilling to fight when she deems it necessary.
On the contrary; Rankin’s political career and many things leading up to is filled with hard fought battles. And that is normally the case for the exceptional.
Born in the Montana Territory in 1880, Rankin wasn’t like most women at that time. She attended college, studied biology and seemed adamant in greatly contributing to society. She was once a teacher but after seeing the urban poor while visiting her brother in Boston, she got a job at a settlement house for poor women and children.
She realized, however, that doing this kind of work is not enough for her to address the actual needs of the poor. So, she pursued further studies in finance, public speaking and government. It was during this time when she learned about suffrage and realized that if women could vote, they’d be able to support laws that favor them and their families.
And so, when she became a member of congress, this became one of the primary goals of her life.
In the House of Representatives and beyond it, Rankin was a vocal supporter of suffrage. She organized and lobbied for legislative measures that sought to give voting rights to women in various states. During her work as a legislator, it was her who introduced a measure that would eventually become the 19th Constitutional Amendment that sought to enfranchise women nationwide. On January 10, 1918, as she was campaigning for her cause, she stood before congress and asked them an important question: “how shall we explain… the meaning of democracy if the same Congress that voted for war to make the world safe for democracy refuses to give this small measure of democracy to the women of our country?”
These days American women are privileged with democracy. And they can contribute in shaping both their country and their lives because of a pacifist capable of fighting when needed.
January 11, 1935: Amelia Earhart became the first aviator to fly solo from Hawaii to North America.
“What ever happened to Amelia Earhart?”
Well, for starters, she wasn’t just a woman who flew a plane and was never seen again.
Beyond the gripping mystery of her disappearance, Earhart had a number of accomplishments that fueled her status as a celebrity.
Born and raised in Atchison, Kansas, Earhart was drawn to adventures early in life. She started gaining flying experience during her 20s and in 1928, she became the first female passenger to cross the Atlantic by plane. In 1932, she was the first woman to make a nonstop solo transatlantic flight. The Distinguished Flying Cross, a military honor, was given to her because of this. Aside from that, she was also a champion of equality, a member of the National Woman’s Party Movement and an early supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment which explicitly prohibits sex discrimination.
On January 11, 1935, Earhart was once again did something memorable. She became the first aviator to fly solo from Honolulu, Hawaii, to Oakland, California. Earhart used a Lockheed 5C Vega and her flight went smoothly even though there had been many aviators to try this transoceanic route.
Earhart is popularly known for disappearing in 1937, during her attempt to be the first woman to complete a circumnavigational flight of the globe. And as that New Radicals song goes, perhaps “someday we’ll know,” whatever truly happened to her. But, for now, what we do know is that she is a woman who achieved a lot during her time.
January 12, 1915 – The United States House of Representatives voted against a proposal requiring all states to give women the right to vote.
Suffragists in the United States faced many setbacks in their quest to give American women the nationwide right to vote and January 12, 1915 was one of those setbacks.
On this day, the House of Representatives voted, 204-174, to reject a constitutional amendment meant to enfranchise women. It was the second legislative defeat of this scale faced by suffragists in the country since the Senate also voted against it in March of the previous year.
Nevertheless, leaders of the movement were optimistic since the issue was, at the very least, discussed in Congress. Prior to this day, it had gone 46 years without getting this much attention from the House.
The movement continued after this setback and so did progress. In 1918, the proposed amendment in favor of suffrage passed the House but lacked two votes in the Senate. And in 1919, all the hard work and sacrifices suffragists put into this cause finally paid off with the passing of the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution which gave voting rights to women throughout the country.
January 13, 1992: Japan formally apologized for forcing women to serve as sex slaves before and during World War II.
During the early 90s, hundreds of women from different countries brought to light the dark stories of their past.
Some told of how they experienced multiple forced sexual encounters occurring within short periods of time; some shared tales of them contracting diseases that have left them unable to bear children, and some spoke of harrowing brutalities that left them scarred for life.
These were the “comfort women,” a euphemism for women and girls coerced into sex slavery by the Japanese Imperial Army before and during the second world war. And, all of their stories started coming out after one woman had the resolve to share hers: Kim Hak-sun.
In 1991, Kim became the first woman in Korea to speak of her experiences as a comfort woman for the Japanese military. She told the world how, at 17 years old, she was taken to a Japanese military’s comfort station in China. She tried to escape, she said, but was caught then raped and beaten. An officer threatened to kill her if she did not obey him. Together with other young women in that station, she was used by Japanese soldiers to satisfy their sexual desires until she managed to escape and eventually see the liberation of her country after the war.
Kim—already 67 when she started to speak of her experiences—claimed that she was no longer afraid to share her truth. And many women followed after her.
Initially, the Japanese government denied involvement with these comfort stations. But, after the discovery of documents saying otherwise, the country officially apologized for the actions of their people. The apology came on January 13, 1992. According to then-Chief Cabinet Secretary Koichi Kato, Japan was remorseful, vowing that the country’s government will never again allow such things to happen.
January 14, 2024: Queen Margrethe II stepped down as the Queen of Denmark, ending a long and popular reign.
When Margrethe II became the queen of Denmark in 1972, about 45 percent of Danes supported the monarchy. But when she stepped down on January 14, 2024, that estimate was over 80 percent. This was considered by many to be the mark of her success as a royal.
Born Margrethe Alexandrine Þórhildur Ingrid, Margrethe II became the Queen of Denmark at 31 years old following the death of her father King Frederik IX. Throughout her reign, the queen stayed away from scandals, modernized the monarchy by allowing her children to marry outside of royalty, and got involved with the country’s cultural scene.
Even as queen she worked as a scenographer and a costume designer. She designed costumes for the Royal Danish Ballet’s production of A Folk Tale and for the 2009 Peter Flinth film, De vilde svaner (The Wild Swans.) She also designed 51 costumes for the film Ehrengard: The Art of Seduction (2023.) Furthermore, she designed a number of her own clothes and established a colorful (and sometimes eccentric) style. She also illustrated the works of J.R.R. Tolkien.
Beyond this, Queen Margrethe II built the image of an approachable monarch. She was among the high-profile individuals who spoke against the xenophobia experienced by immigrants of Denmark. She was also known for being warm-mannered and for walking around Copenhagen virtually unescorted. These were among the traits that drew her closer to her people.
While initially reluctant to step down from her throne, the Queen had a change of heart after a major back surgery in 2023. She deemed herself unfit to fulfill her royal duties after that and gave way to her son Frederik X.
Still, after her abdication, she continued to be known to her people as Queen Margrethe II—especially since the Danish monarchy became one of the most popular monarchies in the world under her reign.
January 15, 1968: Jeannette Rankin led a 5000-women march against the Vietnam War.
On January 15, 1968, 5000 women marched in Washington DC.
Some of them wore black to express grief; others wore loud colors and provocative outfits to challenge the narrative that women are powerless widows in the land of the free and the home of the brave.
But, in spite of the different ways by which they chose to express themselves, they had a few things in common. The first is that they were there to protest against the United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War: a commitment which would ultimately lead to the deaths of nearly 60,000 American soldiers. The second is that they longed to submit an anti-war petition to then-Speaker of the House, John W. McCormack. And the third is that they were there partly because of a woman who, at that time, was already 87 years old: Jeannette Rankin
Inspired by the peaceful protest of Mahatma Ghandi, Rankin—a longtime critic of America’s proclivity for war—was crucial to forming this group of protestors. A suffragist and a longtime pacifist, this marks yet another war Rankin has openly opposed despite how a stance like this has negatively affected her in the past.
Born in the Montana Territory in 1880, Rankin was unlike many of the women during her youth. She attended college, studied biology and seemed adamant in greatly contributing to society. She was once a teacher but after seeing the urban poor while visiting her brother in Boston, she got a job at a settlement house for poor women and children.
Eventually, her desire to be more effective in aiding both led her to further studies and eventually the political arena. She was elected as a representative of Montana and she became the first woman to hold federal office.
In Congress, Rankin fought against war while campaigning for women’s suffrage. She introduced House Resolution 3 which became the 19th Amendment that eventually guaranteed voting rights to women across the United States. She was also known for being unafraid of supporting unpopular opinions that aligned with her beliefs.
She opposed the US’s involvement with the first world war. She was one of the 55 members of congress who voted against it. This reportedly lost her votes and she failed to get reelected in 1918.
She got back in office in 1940 as World War II was looming. After Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, her previous experience voting against war didn’t sway her from going against it yet again. Her vote opposing war was said to have been so unpopular that she received boos and hisses from the galleries. She was also mobbed by journalists after. It got so bad that she had to hide in a phone booth until Capitol police could escort her back to her office.
Nevertheless, when the threat of war once again rose because of the conflict in Vietnam, Rankin—no longer a politician—still sought to challenge it. And this time around, many stood with her.
January 16, 1941: The Women’s Auxiliary Air Force of New Zealand was founded.
There are many arguments in favor of equality and among them is a plain and simple thought: it’s practical to push for it.
To give women opportunities is to maximize their talents for the betterment of the community; it expands a country’s manpower and ensures that a nation is not missing out on the possibly consequential contributions of those who are kept at bay because of their race, gender or sex.
During the Second World War, New Zealand was among the countries which understood this to a certain extent.
On January 16, 1941, its government founded the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) and it was done to allow the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) to release more men for service overseas. The WAAF eased the personnel shortages by allowing women to start significantly contributing to the war effort. On April 1941, 200 women joined the initial draft. At first, they were stationed as cooks, drivers, clerks, mess-hands, medical orderlies, typists and equipment assistants but eventually they started getting into more roles. They served in a number of major air force stations in the country as well as Norfolk Island and Fiji.
By 1942, women started holding service ranks after the WAAF joined the RNZAF officially. Soon enough, they began earning ranks equivalent to those of men—proof that women are #BeyondCapable of serving their country well when given the chance to do so.
January 29, 1926 – Violette Neatly Anderson became the first black woman to practice law before the U.S. Supreme Court
As a lawyer, Violette Neatly Anderson built a career by being the first in a lot of things.
For starters, she was the first Black woman to graduate from law school in Illinois; she was also the first Black woman admitted to practice by examination by the state board examiners. Furthermore, she was the first woman to engage in her own active law practice in Illinois, the first Black woman admitted to the United States District Court, Eastern Division of Illinois, the first Black Vice President of the Cook County Bar Association and the first Black woman chose to be the assistant prosecuting attorney of Chicago.
On January 29, 1926, she had another first: she was the first Black woman to practice law before the United States Supreme Court.
Anderson was best known for her support of the Bankhead-Jones Act which was designed to help poor agriculturalists farm workers become farm owners by providing sharecroppers and tenant farmers low-interest loans to buy small farms. Anderson was a key force in testifying in favor of this. She was also an active lobbyist of this act which was signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1937.
Her role in this piece of legislation showed off both her intelligence and determination—the traits that led her to be the first in a lot of things throughout her career.
