John Quincy Adams is all over the place these days. First he appeared in the best-selling biography of by historian David McCullough. The book inspired Tom Hanks to produce the HBO seven-part miniseries John Adams, in which Mr. Adams was played by Paul Giamatti and Abigail Adams by Laura Linney. The first episode drew 2.7 million viewers, which suggests that John Adams may be the catalyst for a new trend of presidential bio pix. Thanks to the HBO project, Mr. Adams is attracting new interest and visitors to the Adams National Historic Park in Quincy (there he is again), Massachusetts. And today, John Adams made an appearance on MSNBC’s Meet The Press with Tim Russert when Newsday’s Jon Meacham compared a potential Clinton victory to 1824 when

Andrew Jackson won the popular vote, Henry Clay threw his support to John Quincy Adams. Adams becomes president. Four years later, running on a, running on a campaign saying, “That was a corrupt bargain,” Jackson takes over, founds the modern Democratic Party, and here we sit.

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Geraldine Ferraro, again, is all over the news. Whether you agree or disagree with her comments on Obama and Hillary, you may still find some of the things she’s said over the years inspiring:

“¢ Tonight, the daughter of an immigrant from Italy has been chosen to run for vice president in the new land my father came to love.

“¢ We fought hard. We gave it our best. We did what was right and we made a difference.

“¢ We’ve chosen the path to equality; don’t let them turn us around.

“¢ Unlike the American revolution, which began with the “shot heard round the world,” the rebellion of Seneca Falls [for women's equality] — steeped in moral conviction and rooted in the abolitionist movement — dropped like a stone in the middle of a placid lake, causing ripples of

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Geraldine Ferraro and her Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama comments have set off quite a media frenzy. But I don’t want to talk about Geraldine Ferraro’s role in the 2008 elections. I want to talk about Ferraro’s role in history, specifically women’s history, especially during women’s history month. Geraldine Ferraro was the first woman nominated by a major political power as its candidate for Vice President of the United States.

Ferraro, who would become the first woman to be nominated as the Vice President by a major political party in the United States, was born in 1935 in Newburgh, New York. When Ferraro was 8, her father, an immigrant from Italy, died and she and her family moved to the Bronx before settling in Queens where her mother worked in the garment industry. The gifted Ferraro won a scholarship to Mary Mount, became a public school teacher, and went to Fordham’s law school at night. Ferraro ran successfully for Congress from New York City’s 9th District in 1978 and served as a women’s and human rights advocate, worked for passage of the Equal Rights Amendment, sponsored the Women’s Economic Equity Act (ending pension discrimination against women), and fought for increased job training and opportunities for displaced homemakers.

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Today, March 8th, is International Women’s Day. The holiday was was started over 100 years ago. Here’s how:

1. In 1908, 15,000 women march through New York City for shorter hours, better pay and voting rights.

2. In 1909, with the help of The Socialist Party of America, the first National Woman’s Day is celebrated.

3. In 1910, an International Women’s Day is proposed at a Socialist International meeting in Copenhagen, to honor the women’s rights movement and to help women gain the right to vote.

4. On March 19, 1911, more than one million people celebrate the first International Women’s Day in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland, rallying against discrimination and for women’s rights to work, vote, and hold public office.

5. Six days later, on March 25, 146 women, mostly Italian and Jewish immigrants, are killed in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. Because of the dangerous working conditions, locked doors, and dysfunctional and missing fire escapes, these women, some as young as 15, die in the fire or on the pavement, having leaped from the windows to avoid the flames. The tragedy, the worst work disaster in New York City until September 11th, sparks outrage and activism and reform for women’s rights and workers’ rights.

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