Martha Jane Cannary Burke (Calamity Jane)

Calamity Jane was born around 1852 in Missouri, as Martha Jane Cannary. When the Gold Rush began she moved to Deadwood, Dakota in the Black Hills of what we know now as South Dakota.

Calamity told folks that she and Wild Bill Hickok had married and that he was the father of her child, but nothing is known about the child and it is presumed to have been given up for adoption. Sadly, her true love, Wild Bill Hickok was murdered in 1876. She was admired for her tireless nursing of smallpox victims in the epidemic that struck in 1878.

Calamity is best known for her wearing of men's clothing and her fiery temper. In fact, she was nicknamed "Calamity" becuase any man who bothered her was threatened to endure a "calamity." Given her reputation, even the Sioux Indians left her alone because of her "calamity" and other eccentricities.

In 1891 she married Clinton Burke and they lived together for at least six years.

In her later years she appeared in Wild West shows, including the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show, touring around the country featuring her riding and shooting skills. Unfortunately, her chronic alcoholism and fighting led to many many problems and she was fired from the show in 1901. She retired to Deadwood where she later died of pneumonia. She was buried next to Wild Bill Hickok.

Source: http://GutsyWomen.blogspot.com

Copyright M. A. Webb, 2004-2006. All Rights Reserved

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Gertrude Belle Elion

Facts:

• Born 1918
• Died 1999
• Year Inducted into National Women's Hall of Fame: 1991
• Recognized for her achievements in science

Gertrude Elion is one of the nation's most distinguished research scientists, and her Nobel Prize in 1988 capped a career devoted to research to combat some of the world's most dangerous diseases. Elion, working predominantly with George Hitchings, has created drugs to combat leukemia, gout, malaria, herpes and autoimmune disorders. She and Hitchings devised a system for designing drugs that led to the development of the AIDS drug AZT.

In the 1950's she pioneered the development of two drugs that interfered with the reproductive process of cancer cells to cause remissions in childhood leukemia. In 1957 she created the first immuno-suppressive agent, leading to successful organ transplants. In 1977, her work led to the development of the first drug used against viral herpes.

Gertrude Elion, who lost her grandfather and mother to cancer, has never lost sight of the human beings whose lives her research affects. She has said, "When you meet someone who has lived for 25 years with a kidney graft, there's your reward."

Source: http://GutsyWomen.blogspot.com

Copyright M. A. Webb, 2004-2006. All Rights Reserved

PUBLISHING AND REPRINT RIGHTS: You have permission to publish this article electronically, in print, in your ebook or on your website, free of charge, as long as the author's information and web link are included at the bottom of the article and the article is not changed, modified or altered in any way. The web link should be active when the article is reprinted on a web site or in an email. Please forward a courtesy email to the author including an active web link where it is posted.