Books, toys, clothing, and more celebrating girls and women in soccer in honor of the 2023 Women's World Cup!

With nearly 30 million players in over 200 countries, it's no surprise that soccer is the world's most prominent women's team sport! In fact, women’s soccer games have been recorded since the late 19th century, and today, 187 nations have national women’s soccer teams. Best of all, girls’ soccer leagues continue to thrive, with gender representation among youth soccer players almost exactly 50-50, something that's all too rare in athletics. It's no wonder that excitement about the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup is at a fever pitch, with millions of girls around the world eager to cheer on their favorite players — and dream about their own turn kicking the winning goal! Continue reading → Continue reading

Among hundreds of men, trailblazing NASA Engineer JoAnn Morgan was the sole woman present in the locked control room.

A famous photo shows the control room at Kennedy Space Center on the day of the historic Apollo 11 launch packed with hundreds of men in white shirts and skinny black ties — and, among them, a single woman sits at a console. As Apollo 11 began its flight to the moon on July 16, 1969, 28-year-old instrumentation controller JoAnn Hardin Morgan became the first woman ever permitted in the launch firing room, which is locked down in advance of a space flight. Morgan, who was the first female engineer at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, would go on to have a 40-year-long career at NASA. While she encountered challenges along the way, including being "the only woman there for a long time" and spending the first 15 years working "in a building were there wasn't a ladies rest room," Morgan says that "I had such a passion that overrode anything else, the lonely moments, the little bits of negative. They were like a mosquito bite. You just swat it and push on." Continue reading → Continue reading

Pioneering neuroscientist Brenda Milner, one of the founders of cognitive neuroscience, says that at 105, she's "still nosy."

If you go to the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, you might catch a glimpse of 105-year-old Dr. Brenda Milner — a pioneering neuroscientist who's still breaking new ground in her 70-year long career as a brain researcher! The eminent British-born scientist revolutionized brain science as a newly minted PhD in the 1950s. Today, she is best known for discovering where memory formation occurs in the brain and is widely recognized as one of the founders of cognitive neuroscience. Her research to better understand the inner workings of the human brain continues today, although she says that people often think she must be emerita because of her advanced age. "Well, not at all," she asserts. "I’m still nosy, you know, curious.” Continue reading → Continue reading

Five downloadable posters featuring beloved Mighty Girl characters Rosie Revere and Ada Twist celebrating science, reading, and critical thinking!

Author Andrea Beaty has created a series of free downloadable 11" x 17" posters featuring characters from her bestselling series of books, which celebrate science, reading, and critical thinking! These posters were created in support of the March for Science, and encourage kids to remember that all citizens -- astronauts, engineers, and architects, but also each and every one of us -- need to be informed and think critically to create a better world for all of us.

Beaty is the author of two beloved books starring Mighty Girls in science, Rosie Revere, Engineer and Ada Twist, Scientist. She's also the creator of Rosie Revere's Big Project Book for Bold Engineers, a hands-on activity book which helps kids put engineering concepts to the test. She and illustrator David Roberts used Rosie and Ada, as well as Iggy from their book Iggy Peck, Architect, to highlight the importance of reading, education, and scientific literacy. Whether you're decorating your classroom or looking for inspiring wall art for your Mighty Girl's playroom, home lab, or bedroom, these posters provide an excellent reminder that every human's most powerful tool is their brain! Continue reading → Continue reading

A Mighty Girl's reading recommendations and other resources for children and teens honoring the contributions of women to the founding of the United States.

The Fourth of July is celebrated across the United States in commemoration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. While no women were present to add their signatures to the declaration, their role in creating and preserving the freedom that all Americans cherish is equally important to our nation’s history. In this blog post, we strive to, as Abigail Adams famously directed her husband, John Adams, one of the authors of the Declaration of Independence, “remember the ladies” and their immense contributions to the nation's founding!  Continue reading → Continue reading

Whether they challenged racial segregation or broke new ground for women in sports, these Canadian women trailblazers are truly a reason to be proud.

Happy Canada Day! Canada has come a long way since the Dominion of Canada was formed 156 years ago. It’s gone from the four original provinces to ten provinces and three territories that truly fulfill the national motto, “From sea to shining sea.” A diverse nation of peoples from all over the world, Canada is looking towards a bright future. Continue reading → Continue reading

Dr. Kazue Togasaki became one of the first Japanese American women to earn a medical degree in the US.

In the midst of World War II, as many people of Japanese ancestry were incarcerated in internment camps, a pioneering doctor helped ensure that pregnant women got the best care she could provide. Dr. Kazue Togasaki fought sexism and racism to become one of the first Japanese American women to earn a medical degree in the US. Over the course of her remarkable career, she delivered over 10,000 babies, including 50 during one month at the Tanforan Assembly Center. "In other camps, I know they’d send the pregnant women out to the nearest county hospital to deliver, but I never thought about sending them out from Tanforan," she recalled years later. "I thought it was my duty." Continue reading → Continue reading

With a one million franc bounty on her head, Witherington presided over the surrender of more than 18,000 German troops.

On the night of September 22, 1943, a 29-year-old British Special Operations Executive agent parachuted into occupied France. It sounds like the beginning of a spy movie, but it’s actually the real-life story of Pearl Witherington, one of World War II’s little-known female heroes! Witherington led a network of thousands of French Maquis resistance fighters in battle against the Nazis, and even presided over the surrender of 18,000 German troops at the end of the war. Continue reading → Continue reading

A Mighty Girl's top picks of children's biographies and fiction about girls and women in engineering.

There are few things as satisfying as making something work — which for many girls and women means a love of engineering! Unfortunately, women are still highly underrepresented in the field and progress has been slow with the percentage of engineering bachelors degrees awarded to women in the U.S. increasing only from 17.8% in 2010 to 22.5% in 2019. Even today, many girls consider engineering a 'male' field or they simply don't know what engineers do. International Women in Engineering Day, which is celebrated annually on June 23, provides a perfect opportunity to introduce girls to the many types of engineering careers available and explore how engineers help to solve real-world challenges. Continue reading → Continue reading

A Mighty Girl's top picks of books for children and teens about girls' summertime adventures, growth, and discovery!

Many kids think of summer as a break — school is out and they're free to do what they please! But summer is a time of growth for kids! Whether they're enjoying classic summer experiences like a long hike, a day at the beach, or a camping trip, when kids have the time and opportunity to explore and adventure, they're often working harder than ever: discovering new talents and interests, handling unexpected challenges, and learning more about themselves than they'd ever thought possible.
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