Untold Stories: Forgotten Voices in History

Untold Stories:
Forgotten Voices
in History
Gryffindor

Ethel Waters
Actress

When Ethel was a child her favorite thing to do was sing. She loved singing so much that it became her career.

Ethel Waters was born on October 31, 1869, in Chester, Pennsylvania. Her family was very poor and she moved around a lot as a child, so she never really had friends and she felt her family didn't pay any attention to her. This was very hard for Ethel she often felt alone and unheard.

When Ethel was 13 she started singing in public places and worked in a hotel. When she finally turned 17 she started going by the name “ Sweet Mama Stringbean.”

That same year her family forced her to marry an older man. He was not always nice to her and often treated her unkindly, but this did not break her spirit. She continued to sing and act at nightclubs and later got a divorce and began acting in bigger shows. In 1950 Ethel got to star in her own show “Beulah.” She was the first African American to ever star in their own show. Beulah released a new episode every Tuesday night at 7:30 for 3 seasons.

Later that year she became the first ever African American women to win a Emmy. This was a big success and helped her live happily for the rest of her life. Ethel Waters passed away on September 1, 1977 at 80 years old from heart failure. She lived a long successful life and influenced thousands across the world.

Daniel "Swampy" Hooper
Environmental Activist

In 1973 in the UK, Daniel Hooper was born and had a pretty average childhood. The real spice in his story comes in his early adulthood, when he discovered that a highway was going to be built right through a forest, which could damage the environment.

So, in protest, David gathered a bunch of his friends and dug several holes and tunnels on construction grounds in order to block off the construction workers. He and his friends stayed in there for several weeks before eventually, one by one, they were all taken out of the tunnels, with Daniel being the very last.

Just when it seemed that all his work had been for nothing, more and more people heard about his story, and many of them realized just how much these forests meant to people and that maybe they shouldn’t be recklessly destroyed like that. He gained more and more popularity among these activists and eventually gained the status of an activist hero. His first attempt may not have been successful, but he went on to lead more successful environmental protests and is currently living a peaceful life with his wife and kids.

“There is only one thing worse than coming home from the lab to a sink full of dirty dishes, and that is not going to the lab at all!”

—Chien-Shiung Wu

Story by: Brady Babineau

Once there was a girl that loved science and mathematics. At home Chien's parents encouraged her to follow her dreams.

She was born in Liuhe, Jiangsu Province, China. She went to one of the first schools that allowed girls to attend. This school was founded by her father who was an engineer. Shortly after Chien graduated high school, she moved to the U.S to go to college in California.

After Chien graduated from college and got her Ph.D she became a professor at Princeton University. After working as a professor for a few years she was asked to join a government project to help create and build the first very powerful weapons for the United States. Chien went on to do many more research projects in her career. When she was nominated or looked at for a prize in science, she was overlooked because she was a woman. She spoke out and worked harder to receive the recognition she deserved.

She finally got the attention of every scientist from working hard and she won many awards in her career as a scientist and was the first woman to win many of the awards themselves. She wrote a book about her research that is still used today by scientists worldwide. Chien even had her own experiment the Wu experiment named after her.

She is known as a trailblazer in the scientific world and an inspirational role model for young girls who want to pursue science.