Women’s History Month is celebrated all over the world to recognize the many women throughout history who have made an impact on the world.

What originally started as a small celebration in Santa Rosa, California has now grown to an international month. According to the National Women’s History Museum, “The Education Task Force of the Sonoma County (California) Commission on the Status of Women planned and executed a “Women’s History Week” celebration in 1978. The organizers selected the week of March 8th to correspond with International Women’s Day. The movement spread across the country as other communities initiated their own Women’s History Week celebrations the following year.” Two years later, in 1980, multiple groups urged for national recognition. This led to President Carter declaring that the week of March 8th, 1980 was National Women’s History Week. Then, in 1987, Congress appointed March as Women’s History Month.

During this time, there are plenty of ways to celebrate this month and recognize women throughout the years.

Donate to local and international charities

There are many charities that are dedicated to helping women. Women’s History Month is a great time to support them.

• Live Your Dream– Live Your Dream is an organization dedicated to supporting women of all ages, as well as other groups, to chase their dreams with financial support and by raising awareness.
• Helen Keller International– The Helen Keller International organization provides healthcare for families around the world, particularly women and children.
• National Women’s Law Center– This organization focuses on gender justice, everything from issues in pay to the treatment of the LGBTQ community.
• Dress for Success– Starting in 1997, Dress for Success is a non-profit worldwide organization about empowering economic independence in women. The organization does this mainly through giving women the clothing and accessories they need for business meetings. However, they also work to give women confidence and success throughout their life.

Research Women’s History

There are a myriad of different points in time where women have made a large impact on society. In American history those points include Amelia Earhart’s journey across the Atlantic Ocean, Harriet Tubman’s daring slave rescues, Sally Ride’s journey to become the first woman in outer space,  Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat on a bus, Susan B. Anthony fighting for women’s rights during the women’s suffrage movement, and Clara Barton founding the American Red Cross. These are just a few of the contributions women have made to American history, let alone world history.

Read a Book or Watch a Movie

Until recently, several women authors had to go by pseudonyms due to the gender inequality between women and men authors. These women, such as J.K. Rowling (Joanne Rowling), George Elliot (Mary Ann Evans), and J.D. Robb (Nora Roberts), have written world-renowned books. Nowadays, works like Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice,” Lousia May Alcott’s “Little Women,” J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” series, and Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird,” are all titles known worldwide. In movies, the Wachowski sisters were the minds behind “The Matrix,” Nora Ephron was one of the collaborators of “Sleepless in Seattle,” and Penny Marshall directed the movie “Big.”

There are many different ways to remember the countless women in history, and this month is specially dedicated to recognizing the accomplishments women have made over the centuries (Related: if you want to make a change in the coding industry, join Horizon Honors’s Girls Who Code club).