Celebrating Women Who Changed the World

International Women’s Day, March 8, is a day to celebrate women: your mother, your sister, your daughter, your spouse, your friend, your coworker… any woman you would like to applaud. I would like to celebrate the achievements of remarkable women who made lasting impacts in history, science, and innovation. I’m highlighting three extraordinary people: Wu Zetian, Hedy Lamarr, Judith Love Cohen, and Elizabeth Magie.

Wu Zetian: China’s Only Female Emperor

Wu Zetian (624–705) became emperor in a male-dominated society, at a time in history when women weren’t rulers in China. This rank in itself was an amazing achievement. Rising from a concubine to Empress Consort and eventually Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, she was known for her intelligence, political acumen, and ambitious reforms. She expanded the civil service examination system, giving more people opportunities based on merit rather than birthright. 

Hedy Lamarr: Hollywood Star and Inventor of WiFi

A glamorous Hollywood actress of the 1930s and 1940s, Hedy Lamarr was also a brilliant inventor. During World War II, she co-developed a frequency-hopping communication system to prevent enemy interception of radio signals. This pioneering technology laid the groundwork for modern Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS. In her time, she didn’t get the recognition she deserved. Now, her contributions as a visionary innovator in science are being acknowledged.

Judith Love Cohen: Aerospace Engineer Behind the Apollo Missions

Engineer Judith Love Cohen played a key role in developing the abort-guidance system (AGS) for the Apollo 13 lunar module. She worked on the guidance system to help astronauts return to Earth while she was in labor, and solved the problem before delivering her son. She was also an advocate for women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math), encouraging young girls to pursue careers in engineering. Her legacy is a testament to the importance of women in space exploration.

Elizabeth Magie: Inventor of the Game Monopoly

Elizabeth Magie invented “The Landlord’s Game” to illustrate the dangers of monopolies. This game popularized circular board games. Previously, board games were usually linear. Parker Brothers paid her $500 for the game, with no royalties. Although her idea was later adapted into Monopoly, her contributions to the game were not acknowledged during her lifetime. (A sad fact, considering that Monopoly ranks as one of the top ten board games of all time by units sold.)

This Women’s Day, let’s celebrate the achievements of women in history!

Image credit: Elf-Moondance

Dreaded Questions: “How Old Are You?”

Daily writing prompt
What is one question you hate to be asked? Explain.
View all responses

If there’s one question I hate being asked, it’s “How old are you?” Throughout the different stages of my life, I vacillated from welcoming to not caring to disliking that question. 

As a child, age is something we celebrate down to the smallest detail. You’re not just six; you’re six and a half. You’re not simply eight; you’re eight and three months. Every added fraction of a year is a milestone, a step closer to the next exciting stage of life.

Then, as a teenager, age becomes a frustrating boundary. It takes forever to reach the magic age of eighteen. You’re constantly reminded of what you’re not old enough to do—too young to drive, too young to go to late-night parties, too young for independence. The years seem to stretch endlessly before you, filled with rules and restrictions.

But then, something shifts. You finally reach the legal age for certain privileges—driving, voting, entering clubs. Suddenly, answering “How old are you?” feels like a badge of honor. You say your age with pride because it now represents newfound freedom. You can’t wait to show your ID card.

Yet, time passes, and one day, that same question feels different. When you realize no one is checking your ID anymore, you wonder—do I look older? Am I showing my age? You want to show your ID card to prove you’re still young enough to be questioned.

As the years go by, you don’t want to be asked about your age anymore. That question is a reminder that you’re older. Your parents are old. You’re not a kid anymore. You have your own kids.

By now, your experience and maturity should speak for themselves. And more importantly (unlike when you were exactly eight years and three months old), you have trouble remembering exactly how old you are because you don’t want to know your age! Chances are, at this stage of your life, you might have a friend who has been celebrating a twenty-first birthday for the past ten years.

Then, you hit the senior years, and it’s like experiencing the same challenges of a teenager all over again. Age once again determines what you can or can’t do but in a different way. Are you old enough for retirement? Old enough for senior discounts? Old enough to be taken seriously or dismissed as just “old”?

At some point, you might even forget how old you are. Your teenage years might feel like yesterday. Your cousin doesn’t live in the same city anymore – she moved twice already in twenty years. And you aren’t the youngest in your friend group – you’re the oldest. You’re starting to realize the passage of time.

Ultimately, no matter how old you are, the question carries weight. Are you too old, too young, not old enough, or not young enough? The question, “How old are you?” is asking for a number—but how you feel about it changes with every year.

Thanks for reading!

6 Ways to Get People to Remember You

You can make lasting impressions when you are easy to remember and hard to forget. Whether it’s a social situation, a job interview, or a business situation, people will want to speak with you because they like you, and you create a strong initial impression. To help you achieve that goal, here are six ways to get people to remember you.

1 Say and Spell the Other Person’s Name

After you meet someone new, say their name during your conversation as soon as possible. Repeat their name at the end, closing with, “It was nice meeting you, (name).” People like to be remembered, and if you make an effort to remember this person, they are more likely to remember you as well. For me, it also helps to mentally spell that person’s name in my mind because it’s a visual attempt to associate their name and face in my memory.

2 Radiate Positive Energy

People associate you with what you say. If you complain a lot about the news, the weather, or other people, you may be perceived as negative. If you compliment others and speak positively about people, places, and events, others will associate you with this optimism. Make positive energy your brand, and that is what people will remember about you.

3 Be a Great Listener

People appreciate it when you show that you’ve been listening to what they say. If you repeat part of the last point they made or summarize what they’ve been talking about, it shows that you are a good listener. It also gives the impression that you value what the other person has said.

4 Share a Story

People remember stories. If you have a name that is difficult to remember, an anecdote about your name makes it easier to recall. Something catchy is as simple as an adjective + name: smart Sam or adventurous Alex. Then they will remember your name and something about your personality.

5 Give a Gift

When someone gives you something, you feel obligated to give them something in return. This is the Law of Reciprocity. You see this often when you go shopping. A staff member gives out free food samples, increasing the chances that the shopper will reciprocate by buying an item from the store. Similarly, when you open the door for someone, buy a coworker a coffee, or share useful information (like telling someone about a 2-for-1 deal you heard about), that person will view you more positively.

6 Be Vulnerable

One way to get people to remember you is to be vulnerable. When you make mistakes, others see you as more human and relatable. When you meet someone for the first time, share a quick anecdote about an embarrassing moment. For example, share how you ate the spicy green wasabi because you thought it was mint ice cream. People like people they can relate to.

Key Takeaways

Sometimes our first interaction with someone is brief. To create a lasting impact, try one of these six techniques to make yourself more memorable. As the saying goes, you have one chance to make a lasting impression.

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Why Is February the Shortest Month? 

February is an oddity. While the other months have at least 30 days, February alone has just 28 (or 29 in a leap year). But why?

The Roman Calendar’s Quirks

The origin of February’s short length goes back to ancient Rome. The earliest Roman calendar had only 10 months. To sync the calendar with the lunar year, the Roman king Numa Pompilius added January and February to the calendar. 

However, the Romans considered even numbers unlucky, and to avoid an “unlucky” year, months were adjusted to have either 29 or 31 days—except for February, which was stuck with 28.

Leap Years and Adjustments

Later, Julius Caesar introduced a leap day to be inserted in the calendar every fourth year, so leap years kept things aligned with the solar year. The Gregorian calendar, adopted in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII, refined leap year rules but kept February as the odd month out.

Do People Actually Know How Many Days Are in Each Month?

It’s easier to remember that February has 28 days (and 29 days every four years) because it is so peculiar. The number of days for the other months can be trickier to recall. 

A surprising number of people rely on tricks to remember month lengths. Some use the rhyme:
“Thirty days hath September, April, June, and November…” Others prefer the knuckle method: counting the peaks and dips of the knuckles on their hands to determine 30- and 31-day months. But ask someone off the top of their head how many days are in, say, August, and they might hesitate. 

The next time you notice February’s shorter length, remember: it’s all thanks to ancient superstitions and the quirks of the Roman calendar.

Does Having Too Many Options Make Us Unhappier or Happier?

We live in a time of limitless choices. From streaming services to phone plans, from online shopping items to restaurants, we are constantly presented with an overwhelming number of options. Having more choices seems like a good thing—we have the ability to tailor our lives to our exact preferences. But is there a downside?

I think about the last time I stared at the menu of movie options for online streaming. Or the last time I tried to choose the correct shade of lipstick from thirty different shades of pink and red.

Too many options can lead to decision paralysis. What, exactly, is the “right” option? And once we’ve picked A, B, or C…. we sometimes circle back to the beginning and start weighing our choices again, just in case we could choose something better.

This “choice overload” can make simple decisions—like picking a restaurant for dinner—stressful.

Moreover, our expectations rise as choices increase. If we have 40 different types of tea to choose from as we stand in the tea aisle of the store, we expect our final choice to be perfect. Should you stick with the same brand of green tea or try a smaller box of something new? When your choice falls short, disappointment follows, and you’re stuck with a whole box of tea you don’t like. 

Contrast this with having just a few choices, where we are more likely to feel content with what we pick. I’ve been to a diner with only five choices for breakfast. You could play a game of eeny meeny miny moe and make a quick decision.

So, how can we deal with too many options? One approach is to simplify decision-making by setting some criteria, trusting our instincts, or just making a snap decision and trusting it’s “good enough.” 

What do you think? Do you feel overwhelmed by too many choices, or do you thrive on having endless possibilities?