Mary Todd Lincoln was wife of the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. The two met in Springfield, Illinois in 1839... in his own words, he was “a poor nobody then.” She reportedly managed to save $70,000 of his $100,000 salary during his presidency. During the Civil War, Mary Lincoln became a regular at the newly-established hospitals around Washington, D.C. providing food and comfort to the wounded. Rarely was a kind word printed about her by the press. On Good Friday, April 14, 1865, Abraham Lincoln was assassinated at Ford's Theatre. She uttered in disbelief, "Oh my God, have I given my husband to die?"
Abigail Adams was the first woman to serve as Second Lady of United States and the second woman to serve as First Lady. She was also the mother of the sixth President, John Quincy Adams. In her most famous letter, she pleaded that the Founding Fathers “remember the ladies.” Adding, “Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the husbands. Remember all men would be tyrants if they could.”
Nationally, American contralto Marian Anderson broke barriers. Her first record featured spirituals “DeepRiver” and “My Way’s Cloudy.” She was the first African American to perform with the New York Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, the first African American to perform at the Metropolitan Opera. Despite, she was still subject to racial bias.
Indira Gandhi was India’s third prime minister and the first woman to lead the nation’s millions from 1966 to 1977 and from 1980 until her assassination in 1984. India’s Green Revolution was one of the important pieces of her term in office.
Madeleine Albright was the 64th U.S Secretary of State, the first time in American history a woman would head the State Department. The journey to her confirmation spanned two continents and 20 years of government service.
