https://www.loc.gov/item/today-in-history/june-25/

Rosalind Walter *first* inspired female patriotism during WWII (and beyond).

Born in 1924, she grew up in Long Island & Connecticut attending prep schools.

At 19, she began working the night shift as a riveter (drilling fasteners) on WWII fighter planes at a factory.

To establish how much women should get paid, the factory timed Roz while she worked. She broke all the men's records, resulting in equal pay for men & women in the factory.

In 1942, two men wrote a song called “Rosie the Riveter” after an article highlighting her work was published.

That little girl will do more than a male will do

From the 1942 song "Rosie the Riveter.”

 attempted to depict “Rosie The Riveter” as a way to recruit American women to traditionally male jobs due to a wartime labor shortage.

* associate with “Rosie The Riveter” (1943 “We Can Do It!” poster) was NOT inspired by Roz, but by another woman working in a factory during WWII.

Another popular WWII "Rosie The Riveter" poster was painted by Norman Rockwell. It depicted a 19-year-old phone operator holding a rivet gun & eating a sandwich.

The wartime image of "Rosie The Riveter" was only used for a few weeks by a private company in 1942 but gained popularity in the 1980s.

Roz passed away three years ago, at 95 years old. She was a lifelong philanthropist and well known for her support of public programming. She was the largest individual supporter of NYC's local PBS station.

On This Day

Rosie The Riveter's Birthday 

READ MORE ABOUT ON THIS DAY: https://www.loc.gov/item/today-in-history/june-25/

FOR MORE ABOUT HER LIFE: Her NYT Obituary 

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