Outrage: U.S. Supreme Court Takes Away Federal Constitutional Right to Abortion

From Planned Parenthood:

The fears of millions were realized today, as the U.S. Supreme Court ended the federal constitutional protection of abortion — robbing people of the fundamental right to control their own bodies.

In a decision with devastating consequences, the court overturned Roe v. Wade — throwing out the 1973 decision that recognized abortion as a constitutional right, and handing politicians across the country the power to make decisions about our bodies, our lives, and our futures.

This historic action means the Supreme Court — now dominated by justices hostile to our freedom — is reneging on a constitutional right it previously granted.

Across the Country, Life-changing Implications

With the federal constitutional protection of our right to abortion now ended, states in more than half the country stand poised to ban abortion. That would leave 36 million women of reproductive age, plus even more people who can become pregnant, without access to abortion.

Through this ruling, the Supreme Court will force an unknowable number of people to choose between either traveling hundreds or perhaps thousands of miles for care, or remaining pregnant.

Make no mistake: This decision goes beyond abortion. This wrongful ruling is about power and control. What rights will this court take away next? Who has power over you, who has the authority to make decisions for you, and who can control how your future is going to be? It goes against the will of the American people and overturns nearly 50 years of precedent.

A Shameful Day

We’re outraged — and ready to fight like hell.

Everyone’s body is their own, and theirs alone. You must have the freedom and power to control your body and life. That means no judge, no politician, no ban should ever block your personal medical decisions or set the course for your life. Abortion access should not be based on your ZIP code, income level, or immigration status.

Abortion bans do the most harm in Black, Latino, and Indigenous communities and other communities of color, which already face barriers to health care and economic opportunity because of this country's legacy of systemic racism and discrimination. The court's ruling will add further insult to health disparities that have long plagued too many communities.

We’re Fighting Back

We vow this: The Supreme Court’s shameful decision won’t stop us. We will rebuild and reclaim the freedom that is ours.

It’s already crystal clear that these politicians plan to completely end access to abortion, one state at a time. For decades, narrow-minded politicians have built a coordinated strategy toward this moment. And politicians aim to outlaw abortion across the United States, no matter where you live. Texas and Mississippi are just the opening fronts in a campaign to destroy abortion access across the country.

Generations before ours fought tirelessly to gain and protect our rights. With this ruling, the next generation will have fewer rights — unless we fight on. Every day in every way, all of us must stop at nothing to make sure people have access to the essential health care they need to control their bodies and build their futures.

This is far from over. We have strength in numbers and power in our united voices.

The woman restoring ancient Chinese makeup

From Global Times:

By examining references in ancient books, Wang Yifan, a 29-year-old woman from Northeast China's Liaoning Province, has recovered 39 types of cosmetics and makeup tools from China's different dynasties including a powder used by Wu Zetian, China's only female emperor, during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and bath beans, a type of facial cleanser used by the Empress Dowager Cixi in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

Currently, Wang's recovered cosmetics cannot be sold, they are just for display as they still need further refinement.

read more here @ Global Times

Digs reveal seals of Hittite female administrator in SE Turkey

From Daily Sabah:

Archaeologists discovered seals and prints of a female administrator during their archaeological digs in the ancient city of Karkamış in southeastern Turkey’s Gaziantep province.

Karkamış was the most important administrative center in the region of the Hittite Empire, which ruled over Anatolia and Mesopotamia for centuries.

The findings were among dozens of clay seals belonging to the highest officials in a hierarchical order unearthed by an excavation team headed by Nicolo Marchetti, an archaeology professor at the University of Bologna in Italy, according to a statement by the Gaziantep metropolitan municipality.

It was determined that two-thirds of the Anatolian hieroglyphic seal impressions belonged to a female administrator named Matiya from the period defined as the "Late Bronze Age."

The new discoveries are expected to shed light on the role of women in state governance during the Hittite Empire.

The historical heroines you've never heard of

From Boadicea of the Iceni to Queen Victoria, there is no shortage of women who have made their mark on history.

But for every Eleanor of Aquitaine or Elizabeth I, there have been many more whose efforts have gone unrecognised, largely because of their sex.

Now a new BBC series, the Ascent of Women, aims to change all that and shed light on the forgotten heroines of the past.

From the start, says presenter and historian Amanda Foreman, men have 'conspired' to control speech while women, lacking the educational opportunities of their male peers, have failed to realise that 'speech is power'.

But not everyone has been content to remain silent. From the Celtic warrior queen who kept the Romans from her door to the Sumerian priestess who invented literature, meet the women who deserve to be remembered.

read about these amazing women here @ The Daily Mail

The mystery of the Roman ‘princess’

How we solved the mystery of the Roman ‘princess’ | History Extra

Julian Richards returns to one of the most intriguing cases featured over a decade ago in the BBC’s Meet the Ancestors archaeology series, and discovers that this ancestor has a more remarkable background than he imagined.  

This article was first published in the April 2012 issue of BBC History Magazine. 

One of the most absorbing of those original discoveries was the so-called ‘Roman princess’ who emerged from an excavation at Spitalfields in the east end of London in 1999. The Museum of London archaeology team was digging a huge medieval cemetery that had grown up around the monastic hospital that gave its name to this part of London. But as well as thousands of medieval burials there were also some of Roman date.

Read rest of article here at History Extra

Researchers Unlock the Mystery of the Mummified Lung of a Merovingian Queen

Researchers Unlock the Mystery of the Mummified Lung of a Merovingian Queen | Ancient Origins

In 1959, an inexplicably well-preserved lung was found in a stone sarcophagus in the Basilica of St. Denis, Paris, France. Since then, researchers have often wondered just how the lung of the 6th century Merovingian Queen Arnegunde had withstood the passage of time so well. Now, an international team of researchers has found a somewhat surprising explanation.

The remains of Queen Arnegunde were found in 1959 by the archaeologist Michel Fleury. Along with the skeleton and preserved lung were a strand of hair, jewelry, and several fragments of textiles and leather. A gold signet ring, with the inscription "Arnegundis" showed that the remains belonged to the Merovingian Queen Arnegunde (c. 515/520-580) - one of the six wives of King Clotaire I (c. 497 – 29 November 561), and the mother of King Chilpéric I (c. 539 – September 584).

Read More at Ancient Origins

Women Excavate Metropolis

From Hurryiet Daily News:

After 22 years of male only excavation teams, women have recently joined ongoing excavation works in the ancient city of Metropolis in İzmir’s Torbalı town within the scope of a new project lead by the Turkish Labor Institution (İŞKUR).

Six women had been working on the project and had been nicknamed “Metropolis’ Angels”. According to Aybek excavation organizers and participants were really content with the participation of those women. 

Books - Just A few More

The end is in sight - at least for this month only!

Apprentice in Black Stockings - A Nursing Memoir 1949 - 1953 by Norma Sim

"Apprentice In Black Stockings is Norma Sim’s intriguing account of training as a ward nurse in the Sydney Hospital from 1949 to 1953. Norma draws you into her professional and private adventures, describing the daily routine of an apprentice ward nurse alongside her descriptions of her social life and romantic flirtations. The story of Norma and other trainee nurses is also interspersed with historical flashbacks to the life of Lucy Osburn and her five Florence Nightingale nurses, who came to Sydney in 1868 to set up a revolutionary nursing practice in the same hospital. Norma also discusses how little nursing and society had changed, when compared to her training more than 80 years later."

Mountain Tails by Sharyn Munro

"Before Sharyn Munro was The Woman On The Mountain, she was delighting people with the Mountain Tails of her extraordinary existence. Living alone in a solar-powered mud-brick cabin in remote NSW, Sharyn has spent years sharing the forest with an ark’s worth of native animals. Unsurprisingly, all those quolls, snakes, frogs, kookaburras, kangaroos and koalas have provided her with a wealth of material, which she has captured here in both words and drawings. How would you feel if your neighbours ate your roses, copulated on your lawn and took over your shed? Sharyn reveals exactly what it’s like to live so close to nature – both the good and the bad – as well as the lessons she continues to learn."

The Necklace - How Thirteen Women Changed Each Others Lives by Cheryl Jarvis

"Diamond necklaces are a girl’s best friend. But when Jonell McLain couldn’t afford one, she took the extraordinary step of persuading 12 friends to contribute. Thus a necklace-sharing club was born. The feel-good story of the year, it tells of how the necklace became priceless as it went from weddings to work … to skydiving. It also reveals club rules, like, ‘wear it whilst making love.’"

Purple Dandelion - A Moslem Woman's Struggle Against Violence & Oppression by Farida Sultana

"Before she migrated to New Zealand with her young daughter, Moslem woman Farida Sultana endured domestic violence and oppression. Farida grew up in Bangladesh where her education was restricted due to the Islamic culture. At 18, she was forced into an arranged marriage with a doctor, who took her to war-torn Iran. Farida’s experiences with violence drove her to open a branch of Shakti AID in New Zealand to help other migrant women who experienced domestic violence and emotional abuse. Purple Dandelion reveals the struggles of the courageous women who were supported by Shakti. It also includes a foreword by Helen Clark, the former New Zealand Prime Minister, who works for the United Nations."

A Whole Load of Front by Maria Venuti

"Maria Venuti is a showbiz legend who has wowed audiences in Australia and around the world for half a century. A Whole Load Of Front is her exuberant life story. Complete with colour photos and a foreword by Australian TV presenter Bert Newton, it tells of Maria's experiences performing in Kings Cross nightclubs, TV shows, films and theatres. She also shares her memories of being a migrant during World War II, and reveals the famous faces she has rubbed shoulders with, including gangsters and tycoons. As well as being a story of an Australian celebrity, this memoir offers a glimpse into the changes that have occurred in the Australian entertainment industry over the last 50 years."

The Locust & The Bird by Hanan Al-Shaykh

"Celebrated writer Hanan al-Shaykh brings to the page a powerful and heartbreaking story of love, loss and freedom, based upon the life of her mother, a true heroine. Kamila was nine when she moved from her poverty-stricken Lebanon village to Beirut. Illiterate and desperate to learn, she was a young girl passionate about stories, poetry and film – and a beautiful and charming boy called Muhammad. But then Kamila was forced into an arranged marriage at 14, and had two daughters within four years. Despite this, Kamila and Muhammad kept seeing each other in secret, risking their lives for their love. It took Kamila eight years to find the courage to divorce her husband – a decision that meant leaving her children behind."

Mary McKillop's Sisters - A Life Unveiled by Anne Henderson

"Always interesting and sometimes surprising, this meticulously researched book reveals what happened to Sister Mary MacKillop’s order; the Sisters of St. Joseph. Mary MacKillop became Australia’s first saint in December 2009. She was an inspiration to others, just like the nuns you’ll meet in this book, who talk honestly about their religious vows, charity work and day-to-day lives."

Elizabeth Taylor - The lady, The Lover, The Legend 1932 - 2011 by David Bret

"Acclaimed biographer David Bret has written the most revealing and definitive life story of Hollywood actress Elizabeth Taylor. It couldn’t be published until after her death due to fear of litigation. When Elizabeth died in March 2011, the world mourned. David Bret believes that she was the very last of the Hollywood greats. But he doesn’t shy away from revealing her not-so-flattering points in this book. He also includes controversial interviews. Amongst the many scandalous revelations, Bret discusses Elizabeth’s father’s homosexual affairs, her mother’s lesbian affairs and those with directors to get parts for Elizabeth, her ex-husband Richard Burton’s bisexuality and much more. "

Beautiful Thing - Portrait of a Bombay Bar Dancer by Sonia Faleiro

"Part memoir, part journalism, Beautiful Thing captures the life of a young bar dancer in heartbreaking and intimate detail. When Australian journalist Sonia Faleiro set out to report on Bombay’s bar dancers, she meets Leela, a young woman who has been dancing in bars since she was 13. Due to her sharp wit, charisma and stubborn optimism, Leela is the best-paid dancer in a bar on the notorious Mira Road. She has a ‘husband’ (who is already married), a few lovers whose names she can’t remember, an insufferable mother camping out in her flat and an adored best friend, Priya. But when an ambitious politician shuts downs the city’s bars, Leela is forced into the most risky kind of sex work … "

A Long Way From Paradise - Surviving the Rwandan Genocide by Leah Chishugi

A Long Way From Paradise is Leah Chishugi’s story of being an eyewitness to a massacre that claimed over 800,000 lives. Leah grew up in eastern Congo but, when she was 17, she moved to Kigali, the Rwandan capital, to work as a model. She then married and had a son. In 1994, she became caught up in the horrors of the Rwandan Genocide. She escaped only after being left for dead under a pile of corpses ...   Leah fled with her son to Uganda, then South Africa where she was miraculously reunited with her husband whom she believed dead. Leah finally settled in the U.K. where she was granted asylum and became a nurse. She then decided to set up a charity to help victims of continuing war atrocities. "

A History of Lipstick

From The Vine:

For thousands of years the mouth has been considered the most sensual part of the face. And whether we know it or not, whether we'll admit to it or not, we women have relished in exploiting the mouth's powers by decorating and enhancing our lips. It'd be careless to view lipstick as merely seductive, however. Depending on the colour, and the shape of the lip line, lipstick is also a symbol of power, of sophistication, of rebellion, of courage, of optimism and more.

Apiti Life - A History

From the Manawatu Standard:

Apiti is a Maori word meaning the narrows, or the gorges. At 457 metres above sea level, it's a high uplift of land between two river systems, the Oroua to the west, and the Pohangina to the east, 40 kilometres from Feilding.

Its isolation meant it was settled by Europeans relatively late in New Zealand history; the first settlers arrived in July 1886, having been balloted 100-acre sections by the Feilding Small Farm Association.

The men went in first. In July, mid-winter, with bush frosts on the heights. It wouldn't fully thaw until spring, and the altitude meant summer frosts weren't unusual. They bashed through heavy bush; no roads or bridges. Access was mud-mired tracks created by the surveyors, and up shingle creek beds; all supplies packed in by hard-working horses.

Home wasn't built yet. They lived in the mud, under canvas and sacking, with split ponga logs forming the tent walls. Bunks were made from fern trees and wineberry branches, heaped high with surprisingly comfortable springy dried ponga fronds.

The fire was the heart of the camp. A huge, backburner log – long-lasting hinau or rewarewa was best – kept the fire alive and slowly cooked the wood pigeon or kaka stew while the men chopped and burned bush, trying to clear enough land for a slab whare, a garden, a paddock, a few head of stock.

"The match cleared this land," said Apiti farmer and 125th jubilee organiser Hilton Digby. "The bushfires went from here to Beaconsfield, from the late 1880s for the next 20 or 30 years."

Reading & Writing History

As I have been reading alot lately, it got me thinking about all those books written about history over the centuries.  As time has progressed and modern scholarship improved, these past tomes have been discarded as being not relevant and historically incorrect.  But are they.

Consider: most contemporary sources are now considered flawed (by our modern standards of scholarship) and yet are still a valuable resource for the historian and writer.  They reflect the time in which they were written; often the bias of the author; and the availability of information at hand (often localised).  And these "primary" sources are still considered more noteworthy than some "secondary" sources.

Which brings me to my next point.  Should all "secondary" sources be dismissed outright just because modern scholarship has more to add.  Again, I think these "secondary" sources are just as valuable, reflecting not only the scholarship of their author (as with the "primary" sources) but also prove to be a study of the current values of society at that time.

Yes, we should look to improve upon what was written before - and we today have the advantage of access to so much more than some writers who came before us.  Technology is a wonderful thing - so many previously inaccessable tomes are now available so freely over the internet.  No longer do we have to pore over unwieldly tomes in dimly lit archives, travel miles to the nearest library to access some book only available to scholars at universities - unless we want to.  Much of what we need comes at the touch of a button (or keyboard).

My pet gripe is with authors who poo-poo at works considered "outdated" should actually take a closer look them and not just base their opinions upon those of others.   Doing your own research is one of the joys of history - discovering some little piece of long-hidden information, tucked away in a book considered "out of fashion".  No book should be discounted based solely upon it's age.  Many of these early books provided a great introduction into history - they have their place and their value.

Which brings me to another point - historical fiction.  Have you noticed how much historical fiction has come along.  A few decades ago, artistic license was flourishing - readers didn't demand greater authenticity and attention to detail from their fiction writers - how that has changed today.  More and more authors are bringing the past to life in their tomes of fiction - so much so, it is becoming increasingly difficult to assess what is fact and what is fiction.  Some "non-fiction" actually reads like it should have been deemed "fiction" and vice-versa! 

And we are becoming more critical of our fictional authors - demanding they stick to details and admonish them when they leave the path.  Possibly because history itself has entered something of a renaissance - the more we read, the more we feel the need to read and explore further.  Not a bad thing in my opinion.

Book: Some New & Old Releases

Just a few titles that may interested in readers:

Emperor of the West by Hywel Williams
Empress of Rome: The Life of Livia by Matthew Dennison
The Red Rose & the White: The Wars of the Roses 1453 - 1487 by John Sadler
Summer of Blood: The Peasants Revolt of 1381 by Dan Jones
Dancing to the Precipice: Lucie de la Tour du Pin & the French Revolution by Caroline Moorehead
Notorious Royal Marriages by Leslie Carroll
Marcus Aurelias by Frank McLynn
First & Only Women: History's Female Trailblazers by Lynn Santa Lucia
Macbeth: A True Story by Fiona Watson
The Floating Brothel by Sian Rees
Flory: One Woman's Account of Surviving the Holocaust by Flory van Beek
The Enemy Within: A Short History of Witch Hunting by John Demos
The Inheritance of Rome: A History of Europe from 400 - 1000 by Chris Wickham
The Lost Mona Lisa by RA Scotti
Great Rivals in History by Joseph Cummins
Ruth Maier's Diary by Ruth Maier
the Imam's Daughter by Hannah Shah
Apprentice in Black Stockings: A Nursing Memoir 1949 - 1953 by Norma Sim
I Am Nujood, Age 10 & Divorced by Nujood Ali
Kate: The Woman Who Was Katherine Hepburn by William mann
Mae West: She Always Knew How by Charlotte Chandler
The Washerwoman's Dream by Hilarie Lindsay

As I said, just a few! Happy Reading!

Icelandic Volanco & Scottish Famine

From BBC News:

Outpourings of volcanic ash from Iceland in the 17th Century contributed to a period of famine and hardship in Scotland, according to experts.

A major eruption in 1695 saw large parts of the country affected by a "sulphurous fog".

Prof Alastair Dawson, writing in the latest Scottish Environment Protection Agency magazine, said it came at a time of climatic change.

Dust in the atmosphere dimmed sunlight causing crops to fail.

Prof Dawson, of the University of Aberdeen, writes in Sepa View: "We cannot be sure what the precise effect of this eruption was on Scotland's climate but we do know that the years between AD 1693-1700 were characterised by widespread famine.

"They later became known as the 'King William's Dear Years'.

"A contemporary account of this time describes how it was common for people to bring in the crops in the frosts and snow between November and February."

Reki-jo or History Girls

From NPR:

In Japan, the number of female visitors to shogun castles, samurai battle re-enactments and history bookstores has recently increased. Observers attribute this to the rise of the "history girls" — a new urban subculture that some believe signals a kind of empowerment for female Japanese hobbyists.

One of the more public faces of the history girls, or reki-jo, is a fashion model named Anne. She's the daughter of actor Ken Watanabe, and she goes by one name. She's carved out a niche for herself writing and speaking about history and history buffs.

Reki-jo all have their favorite historical periods and characters. Speaking in a Tokyo cafe, Anne says hers is the Shinsengumi, the elite swordsmen of Japan's last shogun, or military ruler.

"The Shinsengumi is popular among Japanese girls because its members are all young, in their teens to early 30s," Anne says. "They changed Japan. The interesting part of their era is that we can see some photos of them, so we can imagine them better and feel closer to them. This history gives courage to young people today."

Anglo Saxon Society

Anglo-Saxon Society

Marriage in Anglo-Saxon England
It was not a necessity to be married in a church or even by a priest. Ostensibly, marriage was a “secular business arrangement” or contract between the man and the bride’s family.

Be Wifmannes Bedweddunge – a betrothal tract of the period which outlined the financial arrangements in which the groom pays remuneration for the bride’s upbringing; a grant of marriage settlement is made upon the bride (and property settlement should he predecease her); the contract is witnessed by the friends of the groom and the bride’s family; it was most likely not written down and a verbal promise was considered binding.

A woman was not forced into a marriage against her will.

At times, a religious formality was performed to endorse the union in the eyes of God – however, it was not unusual for a person of rank to ignore the marriage vows if a better alliance came along.

Clergy were forbidden to provide a church service for second weddings regardless of the previous marriage ended in divorce or death. Often second marriages left the children of the first marriage disinherited.

“Marriage by Seizure” was a Scandinavian tradition – the bride was carried off and the union recognized when the “bride price” was paid to her relatives.

Adulterous wives were severely punished – mutilated (nose and ears cut off) or killed. There was no such limits imposed on Scandinavian men who were openly promiscuous, and men often kept one or two concubines, whose children he may or may not decide to recognize.

Under the monogamy laws of Canute (1020), it was forbidden for men to have more than one wife upon the threat of excommunication; “foreigners”, if they will not regularize their marriages are to depart from the land with their goods and their sins”.

Upon marriage, a woman and her children became the responsibility of her husband – however, her kin would still guard her interests.

No tradition of regal primogeniture in Anglo-Saxon England. First born son might inherit his father’s position, but an uncle, brother or cousin could be considered a more worthy heir to the throne.

Monarch was often chosen from the relatives of the previous king, who could clearly trace his line back to Cerdic. Heir named by the king but chosen or acknowledged by the Witan.

Witan
King’s counsel – a group of the country’s elite – the foremost churchmen, prominent nobles. The king rules with the agreement and cooperation of the Witan.

A court gatherings, the Witan enforced law and order; taxation; sanctioning of land grants; endorsement of legal codes; settlement of disputes; agreements of tribute; and was attended by the clergy, nobility and other delegates.

Witan selects the strongest male of the ruling royal family to succeed – however, this often means the most malleable.

Women & Children First - Possibly....

As these articles imply, it's not always the case of "women and children first". Read on....

From the New York Times:

On one boat, it seems, the men thought only of themselves; on the other, they were more likely to help women and children. This occurred for one key reason, researchers said: time. The Lusitania sank in about 18 minutes, while the Titanic took nearly three hours. Women and children fared much better on the Titanic.

And from Business Week:

In a life-and-death situation, how much time people have to react has a lot to do with whether they behave selfishly or selflessly, if a new critique of the infamous Titanic and Lusitania ocean liner disasters is any indication.

The comparative look at who survived two of the 20th century's most infamous shipping calamities suggests that the so-called "economic theory" of human behavior -- namely, that in the face of disaster, rational self-preservation trumps social norms and rules -- does not always hold water.

Author: Guida Jackson

From Global News Wire:

Women Leaders of Africa, Asia, Middle East, and Pacific, a comprehensive biographical reference for use in high school or beyond, is the first of a two-volume set that covers the lives and careers of powerful women leaders throughout history.

Volume I: Women Leaders of Africa, Asia, Middle East, and Pacific brings more than a hundred women leaders, including tribal queens and Muslim queens who ruled in their own right, from obscurity into the limelight. With its alphabetically and regionally arranged entries, this thoroughly researched book presents women, both famous and little known, who held the reins of power on two continents, one subcontinent, and many Pacific islands. Its companion, Volume II, covers Women Leaders of Europe and the Western Hemisphere.

In easy-to-read entries with suggestions for further reading, Jackson describes wise and altruistic stateswomen as well as rapacious and blood-thirsty killers. Their similarities and differences illustrate the many facets of leadership and power in both ancient and contemporary times. These stories reveal how women acquired and used power to serve their country, satisfy their own desires, or simply, by hook or by crook, maintain their own authority.

History Making News

From BBC News: Turkey demands the return of the bones of St Nicholas.

A Turkish archaeologist has called on his government to demand that Italy return the bones of St Nicholas to their original resting place.

The 3rd Century saint - on whom Santa Claus was modelled - was buried in the modern-day town of Demre in Turkey.

But in the Middle Ages his bones were taken by Italian sailors and re-interred in the port of Bari.

The Turkish government said it was considering making a request to Rome for the return of the saint's remains.

From BBC News: 15th Century Papal Bull

Work to preserve a 15th Century letter from the Pope founding the University of St Andrews has been completed.

The Bull of Foundation is one of a series of six letters from the Pope, sent in 1413, which brought the institution into existence.

It took experts three weeks to restore the Papal Bull, including surface cleaning, repairing edge tears and the realignment of the document's silk tag.

The document will now be able to be displayed to the public.

From the Telegraph: Tomb of 3rd Cent Notorious General

Chinese archaeologists have unearthed a large third-century tomb which they say could be that of Cao Cao, the politician and general infamous in East Asia for his Machiavellian tactics.

The tomb, discovered in Xigaoxue village near the ancient city of Anyang in Henan Province, has an epitaph and inscription that appear to refer to Cao Cao, Central China Television said on Sunday.

A Chinese proverb, "speak of Cao Cao and he appears", is the the equivalent of "speak of the devil" in English.

Historic Women in Film - Part V

The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928) [Alt: La Passion de Jeanne D'Arc] – (Renée Maria Falconetti)

The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939) – Elizabeth I (Bette Davis, Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Vincent Price)

The Spirit of Sacajawea - Native American Sacajawea

The Story of Adele H (1975) - Adele Hugo (- Isabelle Adjani, Bruce Robinson, Sylvia Marriott, Joseph Blatchley, Ivry Gitlis) [French]

The Trial of Joan of Arc (1962) [Alt: Procès De Jeanne D'arc] – (Florence Delay as Joan)

The Virgin Queen (1955) – Elizabeth I – (Bette Davis, Richard Todd, Joan Collins)

The Viking Queen (1967) – Boudicca

Theodora, Imperatice Di Bizanzio (1909) [Alt: Theodora Empress Of Byzantium] – Empress Theodora [Also: Theodora (1912), Teodora (1913), Theodora (1919) [Alt: Theodora, the Slave Princess] , Teodora (1921/23)]

Teodora Imperatice Di Bisanzio (1954) [Alt: Theodora Slave Empress\ Theodora Queen Of Byzantium \Theodora] – Empress Theodora (Gianna Maria Canal, George Marchal, Irene Pappas)

Thérèse (2004) - Saint Therese of Lisieux (Lindsay Younce, Leonardo Defilippis, Maggie Rose Fleck, Susan Funk, Brian Shields, Melissa Sumpter, Linda Hayden)

Tudor Rose (1936) - AKA Lady Jane Grey – Nine Days A Queen (Nova Pilbeam as LJG, John Mills as Guildford Dudley)

Viking Women and the Sea Serpent (1957) - The Saga of The Viking Women and Their Voyage to the Waters of The Great Sea Serpent.

Viridiana (1961) – religious novite (Silvia Pinal as Viridiana)

Waiting for the Moon (1987) - Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas (Linda Hunt, Linda Bassett, Bernadette Lafont, Bruce McGill, Jacques Boudet, Andrew McCarthy)

Warrior Queen (2003) - Queen Boadicea (Alex Kingston, Steven Waddington, Jack Shepherd, Hugo Speer)

Young Bess (1953) – Elizabeth I (Jean Simmons – Stewart Granger, Deborah Kerr, Charles Laughton)

Zora Is My Name! (1990) - Zora Neale Hurston (Ruby Dee, Louis Gossett, Jr., Flip Wilson, Oscar Brown, Jr., Paula Kelly, Beah Richards, Roger E. Mosley)


Note: I have tended only to feature those films in which the lead roles were women - I know there are literally a ton of movies out there featuring historical women in minor roles. However, if I have missed any - please feel free to add to the list.

Historic Women in Film - Part III

Jeanne D'Arc (1899) – by Georges Melies'

Jeanne la Pucelle 1. Les Batailles (1993) [Alt: Joan the Maid 1.: The Battles] (Olivier Cruveiller, André Marcon, Sandrine Bonnaire as Jeanne d'Arc)

Jeanne la Pucelle 2. Les Prisons (1993) [Alt: Joan the Maid 1.: The Prisons] (Sandrine Bonnaire as Jeanne d'Arc)

Joan of Arc (1999) – Joan of Arc (Leelee Sobieski, Jacqueline Bisset, Olympia Dukakis, Shirley MacLaine, Peter O'Toole)

Joan of Arc (1948) – Joan of Arc (Ingrid Bergman as Joan, Francis L. Sullivan as Pierre Cauchon, Jose Ferrer as Charles VII, and J. Carrol Naish as the Count of Luxembourg)

Joan of Arc: The Virgin Warrior (in process)
Director: Ronald F. Maxwell(See http://ronmaxwell.com/virginwarrior.html)

Joan the Woman (1916) - Joan of Arc (Geraldine Farrar as Joan)

Judith of Bethulia (1914) - by D.W. Griffith

Julia (1977) - Lillian Hellman (Jane Fonda, Vanessa Redgrave, Jason Robards, Hal Holbrook, Rosemary Murphy, Maximilian Schell)

Kristin Lavransdatter (1995). [Alt: Kransen, Kristin Lavransdotter] (Eliazbeth Matheson as Kristin)

La Vie en Rose (2007) - Edith Piaf (Marion Cotillard, Sylvie Testud, Pascal Greggory, Emmanuelle Seigner, Jean-Paul Rouve, Gérard Depardieu, Clotilde Courau, Jean-Pierre Martins, Catherine Allégret, Marc Barbé) [French]

Lady Godiva (1955) – Lady Godiva of Coventry (Maureen O'Hara as Godiva, George Nader as Lord Leofric, Rex Reason as Harold, and Torin Thatcher as Lord Godwin)

Lady Jane (1985) – Lady Jane Grey (Helena Bonham Carter & Cary Elwes)

Lady Sings the Blues (1972) - Billie Holiday (Diana Ross, Billy Dee Williams, Richard Pryor)

Leonor (1975) - Mistress of the Devil (USA) (Liv Ullman)

Le moine et la sorcière [Alt: The Sorceress] France (1987) – Cult of St Guinefort (Tchéky Karyo and Christine Boisson)

Life of Sojourner Truth: Ain't I a Woman? - Sorjourner Truth

Madam Curie (1943) – Marie Curie (Greer Garson as Marie, Walter Pidgeon as Pierre, and Henry Travers as Eugene Curie)

Magnificat (1993) – medieval monasticism [Italian]

Marie Antoinette (1938) – Marie Antoinette (Norma Shearer as Marie, Tyrone Power as Count Axel de Fersen, John Barrymore as Louis XV, and Robert Morley as Louis XVI)

Marie Antoinette (2006) - Marie Antoinette (Kirsten Dunst, Marianne Faithfull, Steve Coogan, Judy Davis, Jason Schwartzman, Rose Byrne, Al Weaver, Shirley Henderson, Molly Shannon, Rip Torn)

Mary of Scotland (1936) – Mary Queen of Scots (Katharine Hepburn, Frederic March)

Mary, Queen of Scots (1971) – Mary Queen of Scots (Vanessa Redgrave as Mary, Queen of Scots, Glenda Jackson as Queen Elizabeth, Patrick McGoohan as James Stuart, Timothy Dalton as Henry, Lord Darnley, Nigel Davenport, Trevor Howard, Daniel Massey, Robert Dudley, Ian Holm)

Mata Hari (1931) - Mata Hari (Greta Garbo, Ramon Novarro, Lionel Barrymore, Lewis Stone)