Nina Baker

We're in the final days of our six-month anniversary sale: get 50% off subscriptions for the first six months. 🥳 (That includes our higher Benefactor tier as well as our standard Supporter—get access to our special podcast episodes for cheaper than the price of a regular subscription!)

Another reminder that fabrics are engineering materials too.

Margaret Partridge electrical #engineer & contractor wrote "for sheer exciting experience give me a town to light". @wes1919.bsky.social founder Supported female #apprentices incl Beatrice Shilling. Changed international law on night work for women d #OTD 27 Oct 1967 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margare...

She was the lead seamstress for the spacesuit Neil Armstrong wore when he walked on the Moon. But history got her name wrong for more than 50 years. This photo was misidentified for decades. Her name is Jean Wilson, and in March 2026, the Smithsonian finally corrected the record. #SheShed #VivaHer

Incredibly, 2027 marks our 70th birthday! We kick off the festivities on 24th January in London, with special guest John Wilson. There’s lots more good stuff to come, in London and Manchester, to take us through to the summer. Applications are now open at: www.rehearsal-orchestra.org/courses/

10/27/1910 — b. Margaret Hutchinson Rousseau, American chemical engineer. Creator of the processes for producing high-octane gasoline. First wmn to earn a chemical engineering PhD from #MIT; first wmn member, American Inst of #ChemicalEngineers. #womenshistory #WomenInSTEM #ChemSky #SciSky #HistSci

If you’re not aware of the frankly bizarre — but in its own way, poetic — online afterlife of WH Auden’s “Night Mail”, I wrote an explainer

Liz Truss would have got that sorted YEARS ago, bishbosh, faster than a rotting lettuce.

Our six-month anniversary sale (50% off your first six months!) continues for one more week, and we've unlocked another piece from our archives to celebrate: Maria Temming's deep dive into the world of conlang speakers, including Klingon, High Valyrian, Dothraki, Elvish, and Na’vi. Read or listen:

Join us tomorrow for an introduction to the new Your Scottish Archives portal 📁 If you are interested in Scotland's archives and would like to learn more about YSA as well as suggest ways to improve and add to it then do come along! Book your space: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/your-scott...

Maureen Dunlop, Anglo-Argentine pilot #WWII flew in Air Transport Auxiliary. Famous photo on cover of Picture Post leaving Barracuda plane. Post war flying instructor, returned to Argentina, taught pilots, flew for Air Force & commercial airline. b. #OTD 26 Oct 1920 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maureen...

@gavia.bsky.social

Pilar Careaga #Spanish Falangist politician industrial engineer. 1929 finished studies to become locomotive engineer. 1st woman mayor of #Bilbao 1969-77. 1979 shot 6 times by ETA, Basque separatist organisation, 1st woman they tried to assassinate b #OTD 26 Oct 1908 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilar_C...

It's spooky season and I've got 31 days of creepy adventures for you! For day twenty five I'm on Belle Isle, which is an island in the Detroit River in Michigan. This is the anchor from the Edmund Fitzgerald. The ship sunk in Lake Superior in 1975 and was memorialized by Gordon Lightfoot's song.

In fairness to the government, if you go to the actual government statement, they lead with encouraging eligible people to sign up to the Priority Services Register: www.thepsr.co.uk But this has been lost in almost all of the media coverage.

I have zero interest in footie but this is fabulous writing. I hope the journo gets a prize for this.

@rhiggitt.bsky.social

Margaret Ingels early #US woman #engineering graduate & pos 1st woman to earn Mechanical Engineer degree. Air conditioning work included development effective temperature scale to incorporate humidity & air movement in equation for human comfort. b. #OTD Oct 25 1892 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margare...

Helen Blanchard US inventor received 28 patents 1873-1915, 22 for sewing machines & tech, & a pencil sharpener. Patent No.141987 introduced buttonhole stitch. Blanchard over-seaming-machine could simultaneously sew & trim knitted fabrics. b. #OTD 25 Oct 1840 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_B...

If you see this, post a random picture from your device without explaining it.

Things I have inadvertently stockpiled: Pens, pencils, notebooks (many from when dad died >15yrs ago) Buttons, thread (all from when mum died >30yrs ago) Plastic compost sacks (entirely my own stockpile) A-Zs of Glasgow

Johanna Weber #German #British #aerodynamic #engineer #mathematician designer of #Concorde’s iconic swept wing, VC10 & Airbus380 wings. Worked for Krupp & Aerodynamics Research Institute. Co-wrote seminal book Aerodynamics of Propulsion. d. #OTD 24 Oct 2014 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johanna...

Caroline Maude Davis had "for some time assisted with her father's foundry at #Wednesbury, has now joined Miss C. Griff [aka Cleone Benest] @ #Birmingham with a view to enlarging the scope of the Stainless and Non-Corrosive Metal Co.” d. #OTD 25 Oct 1972 www.magnificentwomen.co.uk/engineer-of-...

For Glasgow readers only: No Buckfast was consumed in the activities portrayed (at least we hope not).

Gladys Sandford #Australian #NewZealand pioneering driver & aviator. #WWI ambulance driver. 1925 1st woman in #NZ to earn pilot's licence. 1927 drove car 10k miles Sydney to Perth, Darwin, Adelaide & back. Sold cars & taught customers to drive. d. 24 Oct 1971 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gladys_...

@jpwarchaeology.bsky.social

@gavia.bsky.social Is she the model for Edna in The Incredibles?

Here’s one for a mathematician, in Atlanta. (It’s a memorial bench, not a gravestone.)

Alice Perry 1st woman in #Ireland to graduate w' engineering degree. Only woman to have been Irish County Surveyor (Engineer), not allowed to do job permanently Factory inspector, later published poet. Uni of Galway named building for her. b. #OTD 24 Oct 1885 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_P...

@mininglandscapes.bsky.social I feel there should indeed be prizes for the best Bings.

Welcome to the Archive, Jean Jennings Bartik! Our 298th inductee, she was a critical figure in designing the parallel programming capacities of the world's first electronic computer, ENIAC, and went on to program for BIVAC and UNIVAC I. Here is her story! #WomenInSTEM 💻🧮 tinyurl.com/5yzvuu8e

First time I’ve seen the word “engineer” carved on a woman’s gravestone 🪦. Helen Scott (1955-1994) buried in Deerhurst church @ninabake2.bsky.social #31DaysOfGraves

1928 Janet Hendry became Scotland’s 1st woman pilot. "On Monday Miss J. Hendry completed her “A” Licence tests most satisfactorily, & we look forward to congratulating her as the first lady holder of an “A” Licence in Scotland.’ b. #OTD 23 Oct 1906 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janet_H...

I have several, colour-sorted. Inherited from mother/granny and added to as garments went to the bin and I saved more buttons.

Jeannette Piccard 1895–1981. 1st licensed woman balloon pilot in US & 1st woman to fly to #stratosphere (in balloon). Reached height of 10.9 miles during record-breaking flight over Lake Erie #OTD 23 Oct 1934 retaining control of balloon for entire flight. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeannet...

The UK's Remembrance Season is starting. If you care about such things, you might find my book about the Scotswomen who died in the line of duty as Merchant Navy seafarers of interest. www.amazon.co.uk/Supposed-Kil...

Image from the books of the Edinburgh craft of Master Masons & Wrights. Image shows the names of roughlayers & plasterers, Beltane dues 1583. With permission from Dr Aaron Allen.

#CanaryGirls #munitionettes #YellowPoppies Today at opening of Glasgow's Garden of Remembrance, outside Kelvingrove museum in driving rain. I planted a single yellow poppy to remember the women in both world wars who gave their health or their lives to make munitions for the nation. More in ALT

Mathematician & geodeist Dr. Irene Fischer helped guide NASA to the moon. Joining the US Army Map Service in 1952, she unified centuries of broken data to calculate the Earth’s precise size/shape. Her calculations allowed NASA to safely program Apollo moon landing trajectories. 🧵 #WomenInSTEM

Aste Hampe #German #engineer #statistician physicist economist 1 of 5 women amongst 500 men @tum.de qualified 1931. 1960s Professor @ Uni of Marburg. @wes1919.bsky.social 1st German member, 1929 wrote article on experiences as young woman engineer d. #OTD 22 Oct 2003 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asta_Hampe

Willy Koppen, Dutch motorcycle racer, 1950s 1 of 1st women riding in & winning international motor races. Self taught motor mechanic, rode solo journeys through Europe. Used -)o(- to show motorcycle viewed from above in travelogue. 1st ever emoji? d. #OTD 22 Oct 2002 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willy_K...

Lesley Souter 1940 1st woman electrical engineering grad @uofglasgow.bsky.social Dec 1948 BBC Woman's Hour expert on X-ray equipment 4 medical use. 1960 went 2 USSR w' Rose Winslade to investigate role of female engineers. Later Councillor @ #Rugby b #OTD 23 Oct 1917 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesley_...

American aviator, test pilot & #WWII commander Nancy Harkness Love fundamentally reshaped the role of women in military #aviation. She founded the Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS) in 1942, which later merged to become the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP). She died #OTD in 1976.

Marjorie Mallik née Oates 1st female student @SheffMechEng taking degree in 1940s as mature student. Active member of @wes1919.bsky.social in 1960s, organised translators for 2nd International Conference for Women Engineers & Scientists in 1967 b. #OTD 21 Oct 1925 www.sheffield.ac.uk/mecheng/1.71...

@remembrancewatch.bsky.social Busy making yellow poppies to remember the #CanaryGirls, munitions workers whose handling of explosives in both wars could lead to skin being stained yellow and also liver damage leading to jaundice and death.

Engineer & inventor Beatrice Hicks: pioneering figure esp. for women in #engineering & for sensing technology used in aerospace. Her work directly advanced aviation & NASA's Apollo Moon missions.🧵 Co-founder & first president of the Society of Women Engineers. She died #OTD in 1979. #WomenInSTEM

Beatrice Hicks US #engineer. 1st #WomanEngineer hired by Western Electric, later owner of engineering firm. 1950 co-founder of 1st president Soc of Women Engineers. Developed gas density switch used in US space program, incl Apollo moon landings. d #OTD 21 Oct 1979 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beatric...