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Women’s Impact Felt Throughout History  

Most people know about Susan B. Anthony, Clara Barton and Florence Nightengale, but what about Mary Katherine Goddard or Angelina and Sarah Grimké? Here are but of few of the lesser-known women who shaped our history.

Mary Katherine Goddard (1738- 1816) Along with her mother, Goddard published the Providence Gazette from 1765 to 1768. She moved to Baltimore in 1774 to help her brother with Baltimore’s first newspaper, the Maryland Journal. She took over as publisher in 1775. In January 1777, she printed the Declaration of Independence with all the names of the signers listed for the first time. As probably one of the first women in the United States to hold the position, she served as postmaster of Baltimore for 14 years. She was replaced in 1789 by another appointee.

Abigail Adams (1744-1818) Many know her as the wife of the second president of the United States, but did you know about her advocacy for women’s rights? Even though she lacked formal education, Adams developed well-informed, strong political beliefs. She wrote thousands of letters to her husband John, family, friends and to government officials. Through her missives she shared her ideas on the American Revolution, the new nation, the American family, foreign courts and war. While she may not have directly affected how women were treated and perceived, she was ahead of her time in her beliefs such as equal education for girls and abolishing slavery.

Angelina Grimké (1805-1879) and Sarah Grimké (1792-1873) Raised in South Carolina in a family that owned slaves, the Grimké sisters quickly developed a distaste for slavery and the way women were treated. They both became Quakers and were among the first women to write and lecture against slavery. Angelina published a pamphlet An Appeal to Christian Women of the South. Then Sarah took her turn with An Epistle to the Clergy of the Southern States. Southern postmasters destroyed copies and the sisters were considered outlaws. They were forced to abandon their Southern homes forever. Even in the north, the sisters were criticized for their boldness, but they paved the way for other women to speak out not only against slavery but for women’s rights.

Elizabeth Blackwell (1821-1910) Blackwell’s social reformer father undoubtedly influenced her decision to enter the medical field. Although initially repulsed by medicine, she became the first woman doctor when she graduated first in her class from Geneva Medical School in Geneva, NY in 1849. Blackwell and two other women doctors incorporated the New York Infirmary for Women and Children in 1857. During the Civil War, she assisted in selecting and training nurses. She and her sister opened the Women's Medical College in New York in 1868. After only about a year, she moved to England to serve as professor of gynecology at the London School of Medicine for Children.

Bessie Coleman (1896-1926) As a woman and an African-American Coleman didn’t stand a chance of being accepted by any aviation schools in the United States. Robert Abbott, one of the first African-American millionaires, advised her to go to Europe to learn to fly. She studied French at a Berlitz school, then took her savings from working as a manicurist and managing a chili parlor and went to Paris. After seven months, the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale awarded her international pilot’s license and Coleman became the first licensed black woman pilot. She became a stunt flyer where she thrilled observers and earned the title, "Brave Bessie." She founded a black aviation school and lectured at African-American schools. Coleman even died doing what she loved most. While preparing for an air show, her plane crashed on Apr. 30, 1926.

iPod and Windows 

So, Santa Claus brought you an iPod for Christmas. You are just not sure how to use Windows to get the music playing. Recent versions of Windows (2000 and XP) work best, however, all is not lost if you still have Windows 98SE or ME. Apple’s free software for transferring music, iTunes, only works with 2000 and XP, for other version of Windows, you will need additional software.

With Xplay it’s as simple as drop, drag and go. You can drop MPC, M4A, WAVE or AIFF files onto your iPod and you are ready to play. You can manage your music from Explorer and My Computer. Xplay will even guide you through naming and configuring your iPod when you first get started. You will need a FireWire card with XPlay.  Anapod Explorer provides another option and works with either a USB or FireWire port.

After all the computer pieces are in place, you need to create a music library of all your favorite songs. All songs must be copied to your computer either in MP3, AAC or WAV format.

The next step is to get organized. If you are using iTunes, you can create playlists based on any theme you choose. Then, transfer your songs to your iPod. Remember when transferring with iTunes anything on your iPod that is not in iTunes will be erased. You can transfer only specific songs or drag songs manually. Then you are ready to fill your world with music.