SENECA FALLS, N.Y. – House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, the late former First Lady Betty Ford and Title IX advocate Bernice Sandler were among the nine women inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame. Saturday's ceremony, attended by about 700 people, was held in Seneca Falls, the western New York village where the first known women's rights convention was held in 1848.
"Our mission is to share the stories of these women with the general population and to inspire future generations to their own greatness," said the hall's deputy director, Amanda Bishop. Also honored was "Sexual Politics" author Kate Millett; horse racing's most successful female jockey, Julie Krone; Ina May Gaskin, who is known as the "mother of authentic midwifery," and monetary scholar Anna Jacobson Schwartz, who collaborated with Nobel laureate Milton Friedman on "A Monetary History of the United States, 1867-1960," published in 1963. She died last year.
The inductees also include the late Mother Mary Joseph Rogers, who in 1912 founded Maryknoll Sisters, the first U.S.-based Catholic missionary congregation of religious women, and 19th-century educator Emma Hart Willard, who advocated for equal education for women in higher education in the early 1800s.
Jackman throws birthday bash for charity
Hugh Jackman threw himself a birthday party with 4,500 guests, but they had to pay to attend. The actor spent his 45th birthday Saturday at Hollywood's Dolby Theatre, where he sang, danced and told stories for "One Night Only," a benefit concert that raised $1.85 million for the Motion Picture & Television Fund, which provides health care and other services to entertainment-industry workers and retirees. "This is probably the most narcissistic way to spend your birthday," he said after the show. "I chose my favorite songs and told stories about my life." Backed by a 17-member orchestra, Jackman performed a variation of his recent Broadway show, with personal stories, a few film clips and selections from classic Hollywood musicals — including a tap-dancing routine during "Singin' in the Rain."
Austin floods: Heavy rain showers and thunderstorms with some flash flooding have canceled the final day of Austin City Limits Music Festival. National Weather Service meteorologist Pat McDonald said areas near downtown Austin received 10.6 inches of rain in 12 hours. More than 40 acts were to perform Sunday, including headliners Lionel Richie and Atoms for Peace, the side project of Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke and producer Nigel Godrich.
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