INSPIRING GIRLS AND WOMEN A TRIBUTE
The following stories come from
A Mighty Girl is the world’s largest collection of books, toys, and movies for parents, teachers, and others dedicated to raising smart, confident, and courageous girls. Founded in 2012, visit them at www.amightygirl.com
Here is a collection of the some of the stories
and links to study further
Jeanne Villepreux-Power
Jeanne Villepreux-Power’s inspiring story has been told in the gorgeously illustrated picture book “Secrets of the Sea: The Story of Jeanne Power, Revolutionary Marine Scientist” for ages 5 to 9 at https://www.amightygirl.com/secrets-of-the-sea
“Jeanne Villepreux-Power went from being a dressmaker’s assistant to inventing the world’s first aquarium and becoming one of the most groundbreaking marine biologists of her day — yet few people know her name today. Born in France in 1794, she first gained prominence after she made the wedding gown for Princess Caroline. This also led her to meeting English merchant James Power, who she married in 1818 in Sicily. They lived on the island for over twenty years and it was there that Villepreux-Power undertook a rigorous self-taught study of its flora and fauna with a particular interest in the marine ecology.
In 1832, she began to study the paper nautilus or Argonauta argo, pictured here. The prominent opinion at the time was that the nautilus took its shell from another organism. In order to test whether this was true, Villepreux-Power invented the first glass aquarium, which allowed her to study nautilus in a controlled environment. As a result, she discovered that the nautilus created its own shell. As she continued her research, Villepreux-Power also designed two aquarium variants, a glass apparatus within a cage, used for shallow-water studies, and another cage-like aquarium which scientists could raise and lower to different depths as needed.
In 1839, Villepreux-Power published “Physical Observations and Experiments on Several Marine and Terrestrial Animals”, her major work discussing the nautilus and other sea creatures she had studied. Increasingly renowned for her pioneering research, Villepreux-Power became the first female member of the Catania Accademia, as well as a member of over a dozen other scientific academies. In recent years, this trailblazing scientist and inventor was further recognized — a major crater on Venus discovered by the Magellan probe was named in her honor in 1997.”
For several uplifting picture books about fictional Mighty Girl inventors for ages 4 to 8, check out “Cleonardo, The Little Inventor” (https://www.amightygirl.com/cleonardo) and “The Most Magnificent Thing” (https://www.amightygirl.com/the-most-magnificent-thing)
To introduce older kids to real-life female inventors, we recommend “Girls Think of Everything: Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Women” for readers 8 to 13 at https://www.amightygirl.com/girls-think-of-everything
For more books about trailblazing female scientists to inspire children of all ages, visit our blog post, “60 Books to Inspire Science-Loving Mighty Girls,” at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=13914
And, if you’d like to encourage your own budding scientist, check out our top picks of science toys and kits in our blog post, “Top 60 Science Toys for Mighty Girls” at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=10528
For more books about trailblazing female scientists to inspire children of all ages, visit our blog post, “60 Books to Inspire Science-Loving Mighty Girls,” at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=13914
