Wednesday, October 28, 2009

"When I was a student at Cambridge I remember an anthropology professor hold...

 
 

Sent to you by moya via Google Reader:

 
 

via guerrilla mama on 10/28/09

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When I was a student at Cambridge I remember an anthropology professor holding up a picture of a bone with 28 incisions carved in it. "This is often considered to be man's first attempt at a calendar" she explained. She paused as we dutifully wrote this down. 'My question to you is this – what man needs to mark 28 days? I would suggest to you that this is woman's first attempt at a calendar.'

It was a moment that changed my life. In that second I stopped to question almost everything I had been taught about the past. How often had I overlooked women's contributions?

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- Sandi Toksvig lists ten unsung heroines, from the inventor of the cotton gin to a queen who led her troops into battle wearing an iron leg - the world's first known use of a prosthesis. (via bingoparaphernalia) (via historicupstart) (via isabelthespy)

 
 

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