Science
Which American woman is a prominent figure in the field of primatology, known for her study of chimpanzees in Tanzania?
A)Dian Fossey B)Jane Goodall
C)Birutė Galdikas D)Diane Ackerman
B) Jane Goodall
"In July 1960, at the age of 26, Jane Goodall traveled from England to what is now Tanzania and ventured into the little-known world of wild chimpanzees."
Who composed the iconic song "I Will Always Love You," which became a hit for Whitney Houston in the 1990s?
A) Dolly Parton B) Carole King
C) Joni Mitchell D) Patsy Cline
A) Dolly Parton
"Houston passionately delivers a message of love, remembrance and forgiveness on her version of this song, which was written by country sweetheart Dolly Parton and first nominated for a GRAMMY in 1982."
Who was the first woman to serve on the United States Supreme Court?
A) Sandra Day O'Connor B) Ruth Bader Ginsburg
C) Sonia Sotomayor D) Elena Kagan
A) Sandra Day O'Connor
"Sandra Day O'Connor: First Woman on the Supreme Court - Appointment to the Supreme Court."
Who is often referred to as the "first computer programmer" for her work on Charles Babbage's proposed mechanical general-purpose computer, the Analytical Engine?
A) Ada Lovelace B) Grace Hopper
C) Margaret Hamilton D) Katherine Johnson
A) Ada Lovelace
"Ada Lovelace: The World’s First Computer Programmer Who Predicted Artificial Intelligence"
Who wrote the novel "To Kill a Mockingbird," which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1961?
A) Harper Lee B) Toni Morrison
C) Maya Angelou D) Alice Walker
A) Harper Lee
"To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel by the American author Harper Lee. It was published in June 1960 and became instantly successful."
Who was the first woman to earn a medical degree in the United States?
A)Elizabeth Blackwell B)Florence Nightingale
C)Clara Barton D)Marie Curie
A) Elizabeth Blackwell
"In 1849, Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman in the United States to be granted an MD degree. Blackwell began her pioneering journey after a deathly ill friend insisted she would have received better care from a female doctor."
Which American Women has the most Grammy Awards - ever?
A) Taylor Swift B) Barbra Streisand
C) Joni Mitchell D) Beyoncé
D) Beyoncé
"Beyoncé made history at the 2023 GRAMMYs by becoming the artist with the most GRAMMY wins — ever — when she won the GRAMMY for Best Dance/Electronic Music Album for her 2022 album, Renaissance. Beyoncé now counts 32 total GRAMMY wins."
Which suffragist leader was arrested and imprisoned for her role in the women's suffrage movement, going on a hunger strike to protest her treatment?
A) Susan B. Anthony B) Elizabeth Cady Stanton
C) Alice Paul D) Lucy Burns
D) Lucy Burns
"Burns was arrested and imprisoned six times. Declaring that suffragists were political prisoners, she was among those in the Occoquan Workhouse who instigated hunger strikes in October 1917 and were subsequently placed in solitary confinement."
Which African American woman mathematician calculated trajectories for numerous NASA missions during her career, including the Apollo 11 mission to the moon?
A) Dorothy Vaughan B) Mary Jackson
C) Katherine Johnson D) Christine Darden
C) Katherine Johnson
"Katherine Johnson loved math. Early in her career, she was called a “computer.” She helped NASA put an astronaut into orbit around Earth. And then she helped put a man on the Moon."
She is featured in the movie "Hidden Figures."
Who was the first African American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry?
A) Gwendolyn Brooks B) Rita Dove
C) Maya Angelou D) Nikki Giovanni
A) Gwendolyn Brooks
"Gwendolyn Brooks, who touched millions of all races with her eloquence, was the first African-American to win a Pulitzer Prize. She remains one of the most influential poets of modern times."
Who was the inventor that pioneered the technology that became the basis for today's Wifi, GPS, and Bluetooth communication systems?
A) Grace Hopper B) Radia Perlman
C) Ada Lovelace D) Hedy Lamarr
D) Hedy Lamarr
"Hedy Lamarr was an Austrian-American actress and inventor who pioneered the technology that would one day form the basis for today’s WiFi, GPS, and Bluetooth communication systems. As a natural beauty seen widely on the big screen in films like Samson and Delilah and White Cargo, society has long ignored her inventive genius.
Who was the first woman to win the Academy Award for Best Director, for her film "The Hurt Locker"?
A) Kathryn Bigelow B) Sofia Coppola
C) Ava DuVernay D) Greta Gerwig
A) Kathryn Bigelow
"Kathryn Bigelow (born November 27, 1951, San Carlos, California, U.S.) American film director and screenwriter, noted for action films that often featured protagonists struggling with inner conflict. She was the first woman to win an Academy Award for best director, for The Hurt Locker (2008)."
Who became the first Latina to serve as a United States Senator, representing Texas since 2013?
A) Sonia Sotomayor B) Catherine Cortez Masto
C) Kamala Harris D) Sylvia Garcia
B) Catherine Cortez Masto
"After a close race fueled by record outside spending, Catherine Cortez Masto, a Democrat, won the Nevada Senate contest on Tuesday to become the first Latina senator…Ms. Cortez Masto, 52, a former Nevada attorney general and the granddaughter of a Mexican immigrant, focused her campaign on immigration overhaul and future Supreme Court picks before the Senate." (New York Times, 2016)
Who was the first woman to win the Fields Medal, often described as the "Nobel Prize of Mathematics"?
A) Maryam Mirzakhani B) Karen Uhlenbeck
C) Mary Jackson D) Émilie du Châtelet
A) Maryam Mirzakhani
"In 2014, the Iranian mathematician Maryam Mirzakhani became the first female Fields Medalist. In total, 64 people have been awarded the Fields Medal."
Who was the first African American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature?
A) Toni Morrison B) Maya Angelou
C) Alice Walker D) Zora Neale Hurston
A) Toni Morrison
"Toni Morrison, was a novelist, essayist, book editor, and college professor. Morrison broke barriers; she was the first Black woman to become senior fiction editor for Random House and the first Black woman to win a Nobel Prize in Literature."
Note: She was a former UAlbany Professor! Her chair is on display in the Science Library as a memorial.
Who was an Iranian mathematician known for her groundbreaking work in algebraic geometry and contributions to number theory?
A) Maryam Mirzakhani B) Shirin Ebadi
C) Sakena Yacoobi D) Asma Jahangir
A) Maryam Mirzakhani
"Iranian mathematician and a professor of mathematics at Stanford University. Her research topics included Teichmüller theory, hyperbolic geometry, ergodic theory, and symplectic geometry."
Which Puerto Rican actress and singer became the first Latina to win an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony Award (EGOT)?
A) Rita Moreno B) Jennifer Lopez
C) Eva Longoria D) Salma Hayek
A) Rita Moreno
"After earning the four major entertainment awards: an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony, Moreno became the first Latina woman to have an “E.G.O.T.” In 2004, she was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her many contributions to the arts. Rita Moreno was born on December 11, 1931 in Humacao, Puerto Rico."
Who was the first Asian American woman to be elected to the United States Senate?
A) Patsy Mink B) Mazie Hirono
C) Kamala Harris D) Grace Meng
B) Mazie Hirono
"Mazie Hirono, First Asian-American woman to be elected to the U.S. Senate"
Who was the first woman to receive a doctorate in mathematics in the United States?
A) Mary Cartwright B) Sofia Kovalevskaya
C) Winifred Edgerton Merrill D) Grace Hopper
C) Winifred Edgerton Merrill
"1886: Winifred Edgerton Merrill became the first American woman to earn a PhD in mathematics, which she earned from Columbia University."
Who wrote the novel "Little Women," which has been adapted into numerous films and television series?
A) Emily Dickinson B) Louisa May Alcott
C) Edith Wharton D) Virginia Woolf
B) Louisa May Alcott
"Louisa May Alcott (born November 29, 1832, Germantown, Pennsylvania, U.S.—died March 6, 1888, Boston, Massachusetts) was an American author known for her children's books, especially the classic Little Women (1868–69)."
Who was a Mexican-American botanist and educator known for her pioneering work in plant pathology and agricultural science?
A) Dolores Huerta B) Ellen Ochoa
C) Sylvia Mendez D) Ynes Mexia
D) Ynes Mexia
"An early participant in the environmental movement, U.S.-born Mexican American Ynés Mexía began her scientific career at age 51, leading botanical expeditions across Mexico, Central America, and South America. She became one of the most accomplished plant collectors of her time, discovering over 500 new plant species of which 50 are named in her honor."
Who created the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.?
A) Maya Ying Lin B) Zaha Hadid
C) Ruth Asawa D) Sou Fujimoto
A) Maya Ying Lin
"Maya Lin, (born October 5, 1959, Athens, Ohio, U.S.), American architect and sculptor concerned with environmental themes who is best known for her design of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C."
Who became the first Native Hawaiian woman to serve as a United States Senator, representing Hawaii since 2013?
A) Tulsi Gabbard B) Mazie Hirono
C) Patsy Mink D) Hilda Solis
B) Mazie Hirono
"With the retirement of Senator Daniel Akaka, the people of Hawaii elected me to the U.S. Senate, where I serve as the first Asian American woman and first woman senator from Hawaii. "
Who was the first woman to become a licensed architect in the United States?
A) Julia Morgan B) Louise Blanchard Bethune
C) Maya Lin D) Denise Scott Brown
B) Louise Blanchard Bethune
"Louise Blanchard Bethune (1856–1913) is widely considered to be the first woman to practice as a professional architect in the United States."
Who authored the novel "The Color Purple," which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1983?
A) Emily Dickinson B) Alice Walker
C) Zora Neale Hurston D) Elizabeth Bishop
B) Alice Walker
"The Color Purple is a 1982 epistolary novel by American author Alice Walker that won the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award for Fiction."