1913
America
..... Mother's Day, invented by Miss Anne Jarvis ( see 1908) became official when the American Senate established a national holiday dedicated to " the best mother in the world - your Mother"
..... Alice Paul founded the Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage which from 1916 was called the National Woman's Party
United Kingdom
..... the Cat and Mouse Act was the popular name for the Prisoners Temporary Discharge for Health Act by which the Liberal government, under Asquith, hoped to avoid having to forcibly feed the suffragettes on hunger strike in prison. When their health was in danger through lack of food, they were released on licence and had to report back to prison again after a fixed period. However the Act simply gave them freedom to resume their struggle for votes whilst they were out and forcible feeding, which had become a national scandal, had to be resumed
..... the FIRST woman professor was Caroline Spurgeon who became Chair of English Lit at London University in 1913 and stayed in office until 1929
..... in January the British government withdrew the Franchise Bill ruling that the amendments were so far-reaching that a new bill was needed. Suffragettes up and down the country were appalled as they realised that their only hope was through a private member's bill. The New Zealand government decided to cash in on the situation by publicising that women in their country had had the vote for years but it was later discovered that 20 women on Pitcairn Island had had the vote for even longer
..... in September Trewhawke Davis became the first woman in the world to experience a loop in an aeroplane
..... Gwyneth Bebb, Karin Costelloe, Maude Ingram and Lucy Nettlefold applied to the Law Society for permission to sit the law exams. They were refused because, according to common law, a woman was incapable of carrying out a public function and although they appealed the case was dismissed
Around The World
..... Finland ..... women gained equal voting rights
..... France ..... the Prix de Rome was won by Lili Boulanger for Faust et Hélène, first woman to win
..... Norway ..... Katti Anker Moller proposed that item 245 of the Criminal Code be repealed. This threatened a woman with up to three years imprisonment if she " in violation of the law kills her unborn child or is an accessory to such". The fight for self-determined abortion had begun
Dated items
March 2nd ..... UNITED KINGDOM ..... suffragettes were attacked by a mob in Hyde Park, London
March 4th ..... UNITED KINGDOM ..... suffragettes locked Labour Party delegates into their conference hall in Manchester
March 8th ..... RUSSIA ..... the first women's day rally was held
June 4th ..... UNITED KINGDOM ..... suffragette Emily Davidson was killed by the King's horse at The Derby
June 21st ..... AMERICA ..... the first parachute descent made by a woman was when Georgia 'Tiny' Broadwick jumped from an aircraft flown by Glenn Martin over Griffith Field, Los Angeles, California
June 29th ..... NORWAY ..... equal electoral rights were granted to men and women by Parliament
July 8th ..... AMERICA ..... Mrs J H Curran of St Louis, Missouri, was persuaded to take part in a séance. Her hand on the ouija board traced out the name Patience Worth and from that time on Patience and Mrs Curran became great friends. Mrs Curran was no scholar, had little knowledge of history and a slight interest in books but after that night she became one of the world's most remarkable novelists. Whilst in a trance, she wrote down details given to her by Patience who told first of her birth in Dorset, England in the 17th century. Then over a number of years Patience dictated a set of historical novels which ranged from The Sorry Tale set in the time of Christ to a novel of the 19th century Hope Trueblood which received wide acclaim from the critics. Mrs Curran could write two or more novels at the same time as they were 'dictated' to her by Patience. She was not limited to novels and could compose at will and reply in period prose to various subjects put to her. Her most highly acclaimed work was Telka, a novel of Medieval England, written in the language of the time, of which Mrs Curran had never studied.
August 20th ..... UNITED KINGDOM ..... the largest sum involved in a breach of promise suit was the sum of £50,000 accepted by Miss Daisy Markham alias Mrs Annie Moss , who died on this day. The settlement was against the 6th Marquess of Northampton