FEBRUARY 10: TODAY'S INSPIRING WOMEN

Leontyne Price

Opera singer Leontyne Price was born in Laurel, Mississippi, in 1927. She was best known for her Verdi roles, above all the title role of Aida. An African American born in the segregated South, she rose to international fame in the 1950s and 60s, and became the first black "superstar" at the once-segregated Metropolitan Opera.

Vagina Monologues

The February 10, 2001 performance of Eve Ensler's The Vagina Monologues was cheered by 18,000 men and women at New York City's Madison Square Garden. The event raised $1 million for Ensler's V-Day movement, which works to end violence against women and girls.

Edith Clarke

Edith Clarke, first woman to earn an M. S. in electrical engineering from MIT and first woman professor of electrical engineering, was born today in 1883. She is also known for inventing the Clarke Calculator, a graphical device that simplified the equations electrical engineers used to understand power lines.

Deeper dive

Did you know Edith Clarke helped build the Hoover Dam by contributing her electrical expertise to develop and install the turbines that generate hydropower? Read more about her life.