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Scottish maid - Williamina Fleming - prominent astronomer 1857-1911
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a425couple
Dec 21, 2022, 2:07:22 PM12/21/22
to
Scottish maid - Williamina Fleming - prominent astronomer 1857-1911
Historical Snapshots
5d
·
In the late 1870s, Williamina Fleming was in her early 20s and a recent
U.S. immigrant from Scotland. She had come married with a child, but her
husband abandoned the family shortly after arriving. Responsible for
raising their son, she took a job as a housekeeper in the home of Edward
Pickering, the Director of Harvard College Observatory.
As the story goes, one day, when frustrated with the men he employed,
Edward yelled out, “My Scottish maid could do better!” While said in
jest, there was much truth to his comment. Williamina was an advanced
student while in Scotland. She was a pupil-teacher by 14 years old and
continued teaching for five years until she married.
In 1881, Edward hired Williamina as the first of what would become a
famous group of Harvard Computers. All women, they studied the stars
through glass plate photographs. Then only a few years later, while
still not even 30 years old, Williamina became curator of astronomical
photographs. This role came with the responsibility of managing a dozen
women computers. Within a few years, the team classified over ten
thousand stars.
Williamina became a prominent astronomer of her time, receiving many
awards and numerous honors. She became the first American woman elected
an honorary member of the British Royal Astronomical Society. And she
would discover ten novae, 59 nebulae, and 310 new variable stars. As she
achieved much success and helped her team thrive, she also stood up for
women in science, advocating for the hiring of women.
—
Sources: “Fleming, Williamina Paton Stevens” by Kéri Katalin.
Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers. Springer Science – Business
Media, LLC. 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013, USA, 2007, p. 375 (
https://bit.ly/2Nx8Sdd) / Project Continua / The Women Who Mapped the
Universe And Still Couldn’t Get Any Respect by Natasha Geiling,
Smithsonian Magazine
(https://www.smithsonianmag.com/.../the-women-who-mapped.../) /
Williamina Fleming – Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Williamina_Fleming
To join our mailing list:
https://historicalsnaps.com/historical-snapshots-mailing.../
Historical Snapshots
5d
·
In the late 1870s, Williamina Fleming was in her early 20s and a recent
U.S. immigrant from Scotland. She had come married with a child, but her
husband abandoned the family shortly after arriving. Responsible for
raising their son, she took a job as a housekeeper in the home of Edward
Pickering, the Director of Harvard College Observatory.
As the story goes, one day, when frustrated with the men he employed,
Edward yelled out, “My Scottish maid could do better!” While said in
jest, there was much truth to his comment. Williamina was an advanced
student while in Scotland. She was a pupil-teacher by 14 years old and
continued teaching for five years until she married.
In 1881, Edward hired Williamina as the first of what would become a
famous group of Harvard Computers. All women, they studied the stars
through glass plate photographs. Then only a few years later, while
still not even 30 years old, Williamina became curator of astronomical
photographs. This role came with the responsibility of managing a dozen
women computers. Within a few years, the team classified over ten
thousand stars.
Williamina became a prominent astronomer of her time, receiving many
awards and numerous honors. She became the first American woman elected
an honorary member of the British Royal Astronomical Society. And she
would discover ten novae, 59 nebulae, and 310 new variable stars. As she
achieved much success and helped her team thrive, she also stood up for
women in science, advocating for the hiring of women.
—
Sources: “Fleming, Williamina Paton Stevens” by Kéri Katalin.
Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers. Springer Science – Business
Media, LLC. 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013, USA, 2007, p. 375 (
https://bit.ly/2Nx8Sdd) / Project Continua / The Women Who Mapped the
Universe And Still Couldn’t Get Any Respect by Natasha Geiling,
Smithsonian Magazine
(https://www.smithsonianmag.com/.../the-women-who-mapped.../) /
Williamina Fleming – Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Williamina_Fleming
To join our mailing list:
https://historicalsnaps.com/historical-snapshots-mailing.../
Daniel65
Dec 22, 2022, 3:29:39 AM12/22/22
to
a425couple wrote on 22/12/22 6:07 am:
But was she still a "housekeeper"??
> —
> Sources: “Fleming, Williamina Paton Stevens” by Kéri Katalin.
> Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers. Springer Science – Business
> Media, LLC. 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013, USA, 2007, p. 375 (
> https://bit.ly/2Nx8Sdd) / Project Continua / The Women Who Mapped the
> Universe And Still Couldn’t Get Any Respect by Natasha Geiling,
> Smithsonian Magazine
> (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/.../the-women-who-mapped.../) /
> Williamina Fleming – Wikipedia
>
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Williamina_Fleming
>
> To join our mailing list:
> https://historicalsnaps.com/historical-snapshots-mailing.../
--
Daniel
> —
> Sources: “Fleming, Williamina Paton Stevens” by Kéri Katalin.
> Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers. Springer Science – Business
> Media, LLC. 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013, USA, 2007, p. 375 (
> https://bit.ly/2Nx8Sdd) / Project Continua / The Women Who Mapped the
> Universe And Still Couldn’t Get Any Respect by Natasha Geiling,
> Smithsonian Magazine
> (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/.../the-women-who-mapped.../) /
> Williamina Fleming – Wikipedia
>
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Williamina_Fleming
>
> To join our mailing list:
> https://historicalsnaps.com/historical-snapshots-mailing.../
Daniel
a425couple
Dec 22, 2022, 11:44:17 AM12/22/22
to
On 12/22/22 00:29, Daniel65 wrote:
> a425couple wrote on 22/12/22 6:07 am:
>> Scottish maid - Williamina Fleming - prominent astronomer 1857-1911
>>
>> Historical Snapshots
>> 5d
>> ·
>> In the late 1870s, Williamina Fleming was in her early 20s and a
>> recent U.S. immigrant from Scotland. She had come married with a
>> child, but her husband abandoned the family shortly after arriving.
>> Responsible for raising their son, she took a job as a housekeeper in
>> the home of Edward Pickering, the Director of Harvard College
>> Observatory.
>>
>> As the story goes, one day, when frustrated with the men he employed,
>> Edward yelled out, “My Scottish maid could do better!” ----
> a425couple wrote on 22/12/22 6:07 am:
>> Scottish maid - Williamina Fleming - prominent astronomer 1857-1911
>>
>> Historical Snapshots
>> 5d
>> ·
>> In the late 1870s, Williamina Fleming was in her early 20s and a
>> recent U.S. immigrant from Scotland. She had come married with a
>> child, but her husband abandoned the family shortly after arriving.
>> Responsible for raising their son, she took a job as a housekeeper in
>> the home of Edward Pickering, the Director of Harvard College
>> Observatory.
>>
>> As the story goes, one day, when frustrated with the men he employed,
>>
>> In 1881, Edward hired Williamina as the first of what would become a
>> famous group of Harvard Computers. ----
>> In 1881, Edward hired Williamina as the first of what would become a
>
> But was she still a "housekeeper"??
>
It certainly appears she was paid to do astronomy work.
> But was she still a "housekeeper"??
>
The wiki is thin on her personal life.
Did she live alone????
a425couple
Dec 22, 2022, 11:59:02 AM12/22/22
to
https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2017/01/williamina-fleming
She also challenged the salary discrepancy between the sexes. (The base
wage for female computers at Harvard was 25 cents an hour, far less than
entry-level men earned.) In a journal entry made after confronting
Pickering, she wrote: “I am immediately told that I receive an excellent
salary as women’s salaries stand.…Does he ever think that I have a home
to keep and a family to take care of as well as the men?…And this is
considered an enlightened age!”
Work and family exerted counter-tugs. “My home life,” she wrote, “is
necessarily different from that of other officers of the University
since all housekeeping cares rest on me, in addition to those of
providing the means to meet their expenses. My son Edward…knows little
or nothing of the value of money and, therefore, has the idea but that
everything should be forthcoming on demand.” Whatever complaints she
harbored in private, though, the public Fleming engaged life with brio:
hosting dinner parties, attending the theater, and cheering at Harvard
football games.
Daniel65
Dec 23, 2022, 3:40:39 AM12/23/22
to
a425couple wrote on 23/12/22 3:44 am:
Thank you.
--
Daniel
--
Daniel
R Kym Horsell
Dec 23, 2022, 4:08:36 AM12/23/22
to
In alt.astronomy a425couple <a425c...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> On 12/22/22 08:44, a425couple wrote:
>> On 12/22/22 00:29, Daniel65 wrote:
>>> a425couple wrote on 22/12/22 6:07 am:
>>>> Scottish maid - Williamina Fleming - prominent astronomer 1857-1911
>>>> Historical Snapshots
>>>> 5d
>>>> .
> On 12/22/22 08:44, a425couple wrote:
>> On 12/22/22 00:29, Daniel65 wrote:
>>> a425couple wrote on 22/12/22 6:07 am:
>>>> Scottish maid - Williamina Fleming - prominent astronomer 1857-1911
>>>> Historical Snapshots
>>>> 5d
>>>> In the late 1870s, Williamina Fleming was in her early 20s and a
>>>> recent U.S. immigrant from Scotland. She had come married with a
>>>> child, but her husband abandoned the family shortly after arriving.
>>>> Responsible for raising their son, she took a job as a housekeeper in
>>>> the home of Edward Pickering, the Director of Harvard College
>>>> Observatory.
>>>> As the story goes, one day, when frustrated with the men he employed,
>>>> Edward yelled out, "My Scottish maid could do better!" ----
>>>> In 1881, Edward hired Williamina as the first of what would become a
>>>> famous group of Harvard Computers. ----
>>> But was she still a "housekeeper"??
>> It certainly appears she was paid to do astronomy work.
>> The wiki is thin on her personal life.
>> Did she live alone????
> from
> https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2017/01/williamina-fleming
> She also challenged the salary discrepancy between the sexes. (The base
> wage for female computers at Harvard was 25 cents an hour, far less than
> entry-level men earned.) In a journal entry made after confronting
> Pickering, she wrote: "I am immediately told that I receive an excellent
> salary as women's salaries stand....Does he ever think that I have a home
>>>> recent U.S. immigrant from Scotland. She had come married with a
>>>> child, but her husband abandoned the family shortly after arriving.
>>>> Responsible for raising their son, she took a job as a housekeeper in
>>>> the home of Edward Pickering, the Director of Harvard College
>>>> Observatory.
>>>> As the story goes, one day, when frustrated with the men he employed,
>>>> Edward yelled out, "My Scottish maid could do better!" ----
>>>> In 1881, Edward hired Williamina as the first of what would become a
>>>> famous group of Harvard Computers. ----
>>> But was she still a "housekeeper"??
>> It certainly appears she was paid to do astronomy work.
>> The wiki is thin on her personal life.
>> Did she live alone????
> from
> https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2017/01/williamina-fleming
> She also challenged the salary discrepancy between the sexes. (The base
> wage for female computers at Harvard was 25 cents an hour, far less than
> entry-level men earned.) In a journal entry made after confronting
> Pickering, she wrote: "I am immediately told that I receive an excellent
> to keep and a family to take care of as well as the men?...And this is
> considered an enlightened age!"
> Work and family exerted counter-tugs. "My home life," she wrote, "is
> necessarily different from that of other officers of the University
> since all housekeeping cares rest on me, in addition to those of
> providing the means to meet their expenses. My son Edward...knows little
> Work and family exerted counter-tugs. "My home life," she wrote, "is
> necessarily different from that of other officers of the University
> since all housekeeping cares rest on me, in addition to those of
> or nothing of the value of money and, therefore, has the idea but that
> everything should be forthcoming on demand." Whatever complaints she
> harbored in private, though, the public Fleming engaged life with brio:
> hosting dinner parties, attending the theater, and cheering at Harvard
> football games.
Only the work matters.
> everything should be forthcoming on demand." Whatever complaints she
> harbored in private, though, the public Fleming engaged life with brio:
> hosting dinner parties, attending the theater, and cheering at Harvard
> football games.
She discovered the Horsehead Nebula on a plate in 1888 taken by WH Pickering
but the discovery was apparenbtly appropriated by the director of
Harvard Observatory who also had surname Pickering. Even in a catalog
as late as 1908 the attribution was not corrected.
Died of consumption in Boston only a couple years after being made
an Associate of the Royal Society.
Only the work matters.
Mike Van Pelt
Dec 30, 2022, 7:08:27 PM12/30/22
to
In article <IPIoL.89751$iU59....@fx14.iad>,
got some details of Henrietta Leavitt wrong. Williamina Fleming was
one of her collegues in the "computer" department.
--
Mike Van Pelt | "I don't advise it unless you're nuts."
mvp at calweb.com | -- Ray Wilkinson, after riding out Hurricane
KE6BVH | Ike on Surfside Beach in Galveston
a425couple <a425c...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>Scottish maid - Williamina Fleming - prominent astronomer 1857-1911
I saw the play "Silent Sky" a few months ago... recommended, though they
>Scottish maid - Williamina Fleming - prominent astronomer 1857-1911
got some details of Henrietta Leavitt wrong. Williamina Fleming was
one of her collegues in the "computer" department.
--
Mike Van Pelt | "I don't advise it unless you're nuts."
mvp at calweb.com | -- Ray Wilkinson, after riding out Hurricane
KE6BVH | Ike on Surfside Beach in Galveston
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