US Army Nurse Corps personnel, 1944

© Bettmann/Getty Image

Waiting for action. Women's History Month

To celebrate the start of Women's History Month, our homepage photo features a candid shot of members of the US Army Nurse Corps in 1944. The women are shown in between training exercises while they await deployment to the South Pacific near the end of World War II. At the time, all who served in the Army Nurse Corps were women, and the units were all segregated. And though the need for nurses was urgent, the army had set a quota for just 160 Black nurses. By the end of the war, that number had increased to nearly 500.

Women's History Month offers an opportunity to study and celebrate women's vital role in history and their essential contributions to society today. The theme for the observance in 2022 is 'Women providing healing, promoting hope'—which seems like a good fit for our photo. How will you celebrate Women's History Month?