Monthly Observances

March is Women’s History Month

In 1980, the National Women’s History Alliance championed for the holiday to be observed as a national week, and this was backed by President Jimmy Carter, who issued the first proclamation declaring the week of March 8 as National Women’s History Week. The following year, Congress forwarded a resolution establishing a national observance. Think of all the women in your life who have made a difference to you, your community, or the world at large.

1. In what year did the United States government officially recognize Women’s History Month? a. 1979 b. 1980 c. 1981 d. 1982

2. Which president issued a proclamation declaring the week of March 8, 1980 as National Women’s History Week? a. Ronald Reagan b. Jimmy Carter c. Bill Clinton d. George Bush

3. Who was the first woman to become a licensed air pilot in the United States of America? a. Bessie Coleman b. Imogene Harrigarity c. Harriet Quimby d. Renata Jones-Smith

4. Who was the first woman to earn a doctorate degree in the United States of America? a. Helen Magill White b. Betty Moses Samuels c. Roberta Freidman d. Deanna Stroberson

5. Who was the first woman to walk on the moon? a. Mae Jemison b. Suzette Peters c. Rhonda Myerson d. No woman has yet walked on the moon

April is National Poetry Month

This national celebration of poetry was launched in 1996. Each of us is a poet, and this national observance reminds us that poets are needed and a part of our everyday lives. Over the years, it has become the largest literary celebration in the world, with tens of millions of readers, students, K–12 teachers, librarians, booksellers, literary events curators, publishers, families, and, of course, poets.

1. Which of the following people is not a US poet? a. Anna Piuitti b. Conrad Aiken c. Raymond Foss d. Frances Mays

2. Who wrote the poem entitled “The Spirit of Poetry”? a. Henry Thoreau b. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow c. Allen Ginsburg d. Nikki Giovanni

3. The first Poet Laureate of the United States Library of Congress was: a. Patricia Jones-Smythe b. Robert C. Jones c. Joseph Auslander d. Rebecca Atwater

4. Which poet spoke at the inauguration of President Joseph R. Biden in 2021? a. Felicia Brightstar b. Amanda Gorman c. Rebecca Smith-Wiley d. Monica Harbor-White

5. Who was The United States of America’s first published poet? a. Phyllis Wheatley b. Rebecca Sinclair c. Anne Bradstreet d. Jane Smith-Perrine