NAME: Maria Mitchell
BIRTH DATE: August 1, 1818
BIRTH PLACE: Nantucket, Massachusetts
EDUCATION: Maria Mitchell
attended Cyrus Peirce's School for Young Ladies. In her younger years
she was taught chiefly by her father. She was largely self-educated
afterward.
FAMILY BACKGROUND: Maria was
the third child of William and Lydia Mitchell, a Quaker family with
ten children.
DESCRIPTION OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
On October 1, 1847 Maria Mitchell discovered a telescopic comet, an
accomplishment for which she received a gold medal from King Frederick
of Denmark. She was the first woman elected to the American Academy
of Arts and Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of
Science, and the American Philosophical Society. She was a Professor
of Astronomy at Vassar College. She founded and was president of the
American Association for the Advancement of Women. She led one session
of the Women's Congress. Maria was given an honorary degree from Columbia
College. A crater on the moon was named for her. Posthumously, a tablet
with her name was put in the New York University Hall of Fame, her name
was carved in a frieze at the Boston Public Library, and she was inducted
into the National Women's Hall of Fame.
DATE OF DEATH: June 28, 1889
PLACE OF DEATH: Lynn, Massachusetts
PORTRAYED BY: Linda
Wilson
READINGS:
-
McPherson, Stephanie Sammartino, Rooftop Astronomer: a story about
Maria Mitchell. Minneapolis, Carolrhoda Books, Inc., 1990. (for
middle readers)
Gormley, Beatrice, Maria Mitchell: The Soul of an Astronomer. Grand Rapids, MI, William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1995. (for middle readers)
Wright, Helen, Sweeper in the Sky: The Life of Maria Mitchell, First Woman Astronomer in America. New York, Macmillan, 1949.
Morgan, Helen L. Maria Mitchell, First Lady of American Astronomy. Philadelphia, Westminster Press, 1977.
WEB
SITES:
-
The Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association.
A Maria Mitchell biography from Distinguished Women of Past and Present.
Eclipse Chasing with Maria Mitchell a virtual solar eclipse expedition, sponsored by Vassar College and Arlington Central High School. Includes a brief biography, transcripts of newspaper articles about her trip to Colorado for the eclipse of 1878, and a chapter from her journals: Maria Mitchell: Life, Letters, and Journals.
The Contributions of Women to the United States Naval Observatory: The Early Years (before 1920).
Insiders' Guide - Nantucket - a description of the Island and brief history.
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