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March 08, 2021

International Women's Day

Celebrating Great Women

Women making History – Then and Now:

Marie Van Brittan Brown (1922 - 1999)

American nurse Marie Van Brittan Brown was concerned about safety when she was home alone at odd hours of the day or night; the crime rate in her neighborhood in Queens, New York, had been increasing, and police response time was slow. She realized that she would feel less vulnerable if she could see who was at her door — without opening it. Working with her husband Albert, an electrician, Brown created a system of four peep holes and a movable camera that connected wirelessly to a monitor in their bedroom. A two-way microphone allowed conversation with someone outside, and buttons could sound an alarm or remotely unlock the door. The Browns received a patent for their security system in 1969, and Brown received an award from the National Science Committee for her truly innovative idea. Her idea became the groundwork for all modern home security systems, and she's also inspired many fellow inventors, including her own daughter, who also holds multiple patents.

Marsai Martin, (16, b. 2004) youngest Executive Producer in history

Marsai Martin, 15, started her role as Diane Johnson on the hit ABC TV comedy, “Blackish” in 2014, when she was just 10. Two years later, she starred in her first film, "An American Girl Story – Melody 1963: Love Has to Win," set in Detroit during the civil rights movement. She starred in "Little" for Universal Pictures, and at just 13, was named an executive producer, making her the youngest in history. She is also producing and acting in another film, "Amari and the Night Brothers." In an interview with the LA Times, she gave her advice to others wanting to follow a similar path. "Believe in yourself. Push to your highest limit. Be confident that you can do it. If you take that one push to do it, then God's got the rest. Just leave it up to him," she said.


2 Brief (and incomplete) History of International Womxn’s Day (March 8)


Sources:

https://www.amightygirl.com/bl...

https://www.prevention.com/lif...

https://www.internationalwomen...