Women’s History Month has been celebrated during the month of March since 1980. According to the webpage of the National Woman’s History Project,  this year’s theme is “Women Inspiring Innovation through Imagination.”

History.com states that Women’s History Month evolved from a one-week celebration of women that took place in Sonoma, California, in 1978.  During this week, presentations were made about women, and a parade was held in Santa Rosa. This event became very popular, and it eventually gained the attention of the White House. Jimmy Carter issued a declaration in 1980 stating that the week of March 8 would become National Women’s History Week. In 1986, the National Women’s History Project got Congress to expand this one week celebration to an entire month.

Every year since then, March has been dedicated to recognizing a number of important accomplishments and contributions made by women throughout history. According to the webpage of the National Woman’s History Project, this year’s theme was created by Debra Kolsrud, and it focuses on women who have made contributions to the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) field. This coming March 18 women will be honored. These women specialized in fields such as medicine, robotics, computer programming, atmospheric chemistry, architecture, and primatology.

The National Women’s History Museum is inviting the public to attend a parade in honor of the 100th anniversary of the 1913 Women Suffrage Parade on Sunday, March 3, 2013. It is starting at 9:00 a.m. at the U.S. Capitol and will end at the Washington monument.

The Hawthorne High School Library Media Center is also acknowledging Woman’s History Month with a display of books highlighting women who have made important contributions to the world.