Kate Warne became the nation’s first female detective when she began working for the Pinkerton National Detective Agency in Chicago, and she later played a key role in foiling an apparent assassination plot against president-elect Abraham Lincoln.
Playlist Women's History Month
Women's History Month
Celebrate Women’s History Month with These Shows on WTTW
Meredith FrancisMarch is Women’s History Month, and WTTW is marking the occasion with programming that spotlights women’s contributions to politics, civil rights, the arts, literature, science, and beyond.
Celebrate Women’s History Month with These Shows on WTTW
Meredith FrancisWomen's History Month on WTTW features new programs, including a documentary on the women of World War II, an investigation of England’s first woman monarch, a profile of writer Liz Carpenter, and more.
Nine Pioneering Chicago Women Politicians
Daniel HautzingerChicago has produced some remarkable politicians over the decades, including women who broke ground at the city, state, and national levels. Amongst them are the first Black woman U.S. Senator, the third woman elected to the U.S. Congress, and the first woman mayor of a large U.S. city.
Celebrate Women’s History Month Programming on WTTW
Meredith FrancisMarch is Women’s History Month, and WTTW is celebrating with programming that highlights the achievements women have made in politics, civil rights, art, literature, science, and more.
The Little-Known Social Worker and Writer Who Embodied Chicago’s Role as a “Cauldron” for Social Movements
Meredith FrancisThough the history books rarely mention her, social worker and avant-garde writer Mary Field Parton embodies Chicago's role as a focal point of political and social movements.
What to Watch on WTTW for Women’s History Month
Meredith FrancisCelebrate Women's History Month with WTTW in March with the stories of women who were leaders in their fields.
Celebrate Women's History Month with WTTW in 2022
Daniel HautzingerThis Women's History Month on WTTW, you can watch the stories of women fighting for change in male-dominated worlds in different realms, all in new documentaries, including one nominated for an Academy Award.
Celebrate Women's History Month with WTTW in 2021
Daniel HautzingerThis March, celebrate Women's History Month with a variety of programming from WTTW featuring profiles of artistic women, looks into the past at trailblazers and rulers, stories of contemporary women working to reshape society, and more.
The Chicago Suffragists Who Fought for Women’s Right to Vote
Meredith FrancisThis year marks the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment, which guarantees women the right to vote. Chicago was home to some of the leading suffragists in the nation, and they brought Illinois women a limited right to vote years before 1920.
Our Women's History Month Programming
Daniel HautzingerMarch is Women's History Month, and we're celebrating with all sorts of programming: appreciative looks at some of America's funniest women, profiles of literary landmarks, documentaries looking at the dearth of women in various positions, and even a PBS Kids special.
Chicago's Unsung, Pioneering Women
Daniel HautzingerEven prominent female groundbreakers are rarely recognized – there are approximately 40 figurative statues of men in Chicago but only two of women – so what about equally important pioneers who have been forgotten, from activists to literary figures to businesswomen?
The First Female African American Pilot
Daniel HautzingerOnly eighteen years after the Wright brothers' first flight, Bessie Coleman overcame both racism and sexism to become the first African American woman to earn a pilot's license, with the help of the Chicago Defender. But her high-flying career was cut tragically short.
What to Stream This Month
Daniel HautzingerCelebrate Women's History Month with stories of women forgotten or restricted by history like the six wives of Henry VIII, a trailblazing television pioneer, and a popular, binge-worthy discontinued series about women on the home front.
From the Archive: Toni Morrison
Daniel HautzingerIn 1977, Toni Morrison spoke to WTTW's John Callaway about empathy, the importance of storytelling, and her deep love of writing in an extraordinary interview. Watch the Nobel Prize-winning novelist speak honestly early in her career.
