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?
Nurses serving with the American Red Cross in Paris, France, in May 1919
The North Beach Jazz Mural created by Bay Area artist Bill Weber in San Francisco
Girl Scouts camping on the shore of Todd Lake in 1960, Deschutes National Forest, Oregon
The 'Fearless Girl' statue outside the New York Stock Exchange in New York City
'Legacy' mural painted by Josh Sarantitis and Eric Okdeh within the Mural Arts Program in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Flamenco dancers outside Palma de Majorca, Spain
The 369th Infantry returns to New York City, 1919
The English National Ballet's 2016 production of 'The Nutcracker' at the London Coliseum in London, England
