8. Maria Winkelmann Helped Create an Almanac
Maria Winkelmann was born in Germany in 1670. Her father broke with many traditions of the time and, believing that girls should be every bit as educated as boys, provided his daughter with the best education he could. Both of Maria’s parents died when she was 13, but her uncle went on to continue her education. She was also friends with a local astronomer, Christoph Arnold, who taught her astronomy and took her on as an unofficial apprentice. She married the famous German astronomer Gottfried Kirch, who provided further education in astronomy for his wife.
At the time, women scientists were recognized as being subordinate to men. Maria worked beside her husband and made discoveries that helped create almanacs, which were used in both farming and navigation. She also studied the aurora borealis and the alignment of the planets. Gottfried von Leibniz, a prominent German scientist, presented her to the royal court for her work in being able to identify sunspots. Winkelmann became one of the only female scientists of her time to publish works under her own name rather than that of a male cohort.
Unfortunately, following her husband’s death, Winkelmann was unable to secure funding for her work due to her gender. She fell into a period of depression but continued to write about her astronomical findings.