– by Valerie Green –
While researching the history of events for the month of December, I noticed a theme was developing. It would seem that many women made their presence felt during this month through the years.
In Canada, for instance, our own Emily Carr was born here in Victoria on December 13th, 1871, and went on to become one of the most famous painters and award-winning writers in Canada.
On December 6th, 1921, Agnes McPhail became the first woman in Canadian history to sit as a member of the House of Commons when she was elected as a federal MP. She became a role model for other Canadian women who followed in her footsteps.
On December 23rd, 1981, Jeane Sauve was appointed the 23rd Governor General of Canada, the first woman to be appointed to this post.
December 6th is now known as the National Day of Remembrance and Action against Violence against Women as a result of the tragic events on that date in 1989 known as the Montreal Massacre when a man screaming “I hate feminists” gunned down and shot 27 women, of which 14 died. The federal government later set up the Panel on Violence against Women.
On a happier note, on December 10th, 2013, our own Alice Munro became the 2013 Nobel Prize Laureate winner for Literature, the first Canadian woman to be honoured. Her award was accepted on her behalf by her daughter, Jenny, in Stockholm.
Women around the world have also made their mark in the month of December. On December 1st, 1919, for instance, Lady Nancy Astor became the first woman in the British House of Commons.
Also in December, but in 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama, for refusing to give up her seat to a white man and move to the back of the bus. This resulted in a year-long boycott of the city bus system by African Americans and led to the end of racial segregation on municipal buses throughout the South.
On December 3rd, 1993, Princess Diana announced she was stepping out of the public spotlight because of the tabloid press and paparazzi continually hounding her. A year earlier, on December 9th, Buckingham Palace had announced the official separation of Diana from Prince Charles.
On December 7th, 1761, Marie Tussaud was born in Switzerland. She established Madame Tussaud’s famous waxworks in London in 1802, later adding a Chamber of Horrors.
On December 14th, 1918, British women voted for the first time in a general election and were allowed to run for office. It was a major breakthrough.
Back in 1775, novelist Jane Austen was born on December 16th. Her works continue to be popular today and many have been made into TV mini-series and movies.
December of course commemorates the birth of Jesus of Nazareth on December 25th but did you know it has only been celebrated on this date by the Western World since 336 AD? His actual date of birth is, of course, unknown.
I wish all my readers a very Happy Christmas and may all your dreams come true in 2016. Thank you for your continued support and interest in my columns.
Valerie Green is an author/historian and can be reached at valgee@shaw.ca.
