We Can Do Anything: From sports to innovation, art to politics, meet over 200 women who got there first. Chuck Gonzales
Jr., at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, one of the largest political rallies in U.S. history. After Dr. King’s death, she was even asked to take over his leadership. Josephine adopted 12 children from around the world, creating what she called the “Rainbow Tribe,” showing that children of different religions and ethnicities could be brothers and sisters.
In 1973, Josephine agreed to perform at New York’s prestigious Carnegie Hall. She received a standing ovation before the show even started—she had finally got her great American showbiz success. In 1975, the 68-year-old Josephine performed her last show, a medley of her hits, and received some of the best reviews of her career. Sadly, she died a few days later. More than 20,000 people attended her funeral procession on the streets of Paris. She was given a 21-gun salute by the French military in recognition of her incredible contribution to French life.
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FIRST BLACK WOMAN TO BECOME AN INTERNATIONALLY FAMOUS PERFORMER |
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FIRST BLACK WOMAN TO STAR IN A MAJOR FILM |
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| Carnegie Hall, New York City |
KATHARINE HEPBURN MOST OSCAR WINS OF ANY ACTOR
FULL NAME: Katharine Houghton Hepburn
BORN: MAY 12, 1907, HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, U.S.A.
DIED: JUNE 29, 2003, FENWICK, CONNECTICUT, U.S.A.
NATIONALITY: AMERICAN
During her 60-plus-year career of four Oscar wins, Katharine Hepburn attended the ceremony only once—to give an award to someone else!
SPARKLING 60-YEAR CAREER
With her first public performance at the age eight as part of a rally for women’s right to vote, Katharine Hepburn embarked on a sparkling career that lasted more than 60 years. In that time, she acted in 52 feature films and was nominated for 12 Academy Awards (Oscars). Katharine is the winner of the most Oscars—four—of any actor in history. The first she won in 1933, at the age of 25, for Morning Glory; her final three were won after she had turned 60.
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FIRST (AND ONLY) ACTOR TO WIN FOUR OSCARS |
Katharine’s parents supported the women’s suffrage (right to vote) movement and instilled in Katharine the belief that she could do anything.
U.S. postage stamp, circa 2010, commemorating the great Hollywood actress
GREATEST SCREEN LEGEND
One of Hollywood’s great screen beauties, Katharine was considered a tomboy from an early age. She is even known to have referred to herself as “Jimmy” in her childhood. Katharine’s parents were very progressive and fought hard for women’s rights. They filled the young Katharine with determination and fierce independence. In the difficult world of Hollywood, this sense of self-assurance would serve her well in managing her career exactly as she chose. She was known for refusing to conform to Hollywood’s expectations of women. She was a modern woman: she wore pants at a time when it was hugely unfashionable for women to do so, and she was assertive and lived her life to her own design.
Katharine’s first movie was the 1932 hit drama A Bill of Divorcement, and it made her an overnight star. She was adept at everything from literary drama to comedy. Her performance as Jo March in Little Women (1933) is considered one of her finest, and her role in The Philadelphia Story (1940) is the one for which she is best known. Katharine is considered by many, including the American Film Institute, to be the greatest female screen legend of all time.
FRIDA KAHLO CELEBRATED PAINTER AND FEMINIST ICON
FULL NAME: Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderon
BORN: JULY 6, 1907, COYOACÁN, MEXICO
DIED: JULY 13, 1954, COYOACÁN, MEXICO
NATIONALITY: MEXICAN
FRIDA THE FIGHTER
Frida Kahlo was born in Mexico City to a German father and Mexican mother. The third of four daughters (with two older stepsisters), Frida grew up in a world surrounded by women. When she was only three years old, the Mexican Revolution broke out. Her family and these revolutionary politics helped to shape the person young Frida would become.
Mexico takes great pride in Frida Kahlo the painter. She appears on the Mexican 500-peso bill, alongside an image of her work.
At the age of six, Frida caught polio, which affected the use of her legs. She didn’t let this get in her way and continued playing sports, including boxing. Her early lessons in persevering through difficulty would serve Frida well in later life. As a teenager, Frida attended one of the top schools in Mexico, dreaming of becoming a doctor. But that dream was soon to change.
At the age of 18, Frida was riding a bus that was suddenly struck by a tram. She survived but was very seriously injured. Afterward, Frida spent three months in bed in a full-body cast. Even after this recovery, the teenage Frida had to relearn to walk and remained in constant pain for the rest of her life. But Frida was a fighter. During her recuperation, Frida’s mother had a special easel built that allowed her to paint from bed. She changed her dream from medicine to art. (Much of Frida’s work continued to include her knowledge of anatomy and medicine.) Frida was entirely self-taught, but her artistic talent was impressive. She was soon attracting attention from some of the great artists of the day, including Diego Rivera, whom she later married—twice. Frida and Diego influenced each other’s work for the rest of their lives. Frida remained ill for much of her life, and she died at the young age of 47.
I PAINTED MY OWN REALITY
Frida Kahlo remains known for her use of bright colors, self-portraits, and images of Mexican culture. Her work is sometimes described as dreamlike. But as Frida explained, “I never painted dreams. I painted my own reality.” She was very political and had a strong, independent spirit.
It wasn’t until after her death that Frida became known as an incredible artist and feminist icon. Her paintings can now be found in museums all over the world, from Detroit to Japan, as well as at Caza Azul in Mexico—the house where Frida was born, painted, lived, and died. Several movies, books, and plays have been written about Frida’s life and work. She remains an inspiration of what can be achieved through dedication and spirit.
GINGER ROGERS ONE OF THE BEST-KNOWN DANCERS OF ALL TIME
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