Electoral-vote.com

I Read the News Today, Oh Boy: Did the Women in Uniform Make Victoria Cross?

Women started playing a significant role in warfare in the mid-nineteenth century. Not as soldiers back then, of course, but as nurses and in other supporting roles, with the Crimean War of the 1850s giving us Florence Nightingale and the International Red Cross. It is not entirely clear how Queen Victoria, who was already leading the British Empire at that time, felt about this. On one hand, she was a very traditional lady who believed in very traditional gender roles. On the other hand, the only woman to receive a Victoria Cross, the U.K.'s highest award for gallantry, was Elizabeth Webber Harris, who got a (replica) VC on the direct orders of the Queen, for her efforts fighting a cholera outbreak in India.

In case you were wondering, there is also only one female Medal of Honor recipient in U.S. history; that's Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, who was recognized for her work ministering to the wounded soldiers of the Civil War. Before the War, Walker attended and graduated from medical school, which was certainly outside the norm for that time, but otherwise led a conventional Victorian woman's lifestyle, including marrying a man. After the war, she divorced the man and started dressing like this:

On the left, a very elderly
Walker is wearing a men's cloak and a stovepipe hat; on the right, a slightly younger Walker is wearing
a men's suit and her Medal of Honor

Some argue that she was merely rebelling against the restrictive gender norms of her day. Others say she was a lesbian, and still others suspect Walker was likely trans. Other than the photos above, there is virtually no evidence available to help settle this question. What is known is that her MoH was revoked in 1916, because it was deemed "undesirable," and then was restored again in 1977, well after Walker had passed away.

And after that brief foray into 19th century military history, let's move on to the hints we gave for last week's theme. First was "we really wanted to mention Darwin and Twain in a headline," and second was "you'vE GOT to concentrate." And here is the solution, courtesy of reader M.C. in Newton, MA:

This week's headlines all contain the names of awards:

In Congress: Once Again, Mike Johnson Shows He's Mr. Irrelevant
Democratic Presidential Candidate of the Week, #24: Gov. Tony Evers (D-WI)
250 Candles: It's Time to Determine the People's Choice
I Read the News Today, Oh Boy: Bruce Almighty Is Jim Carrey's Biggest Blockbuster
This Week in Schadenfreude: Next's Year's Pulitzer for Non-Fiction Is Already Locked Up
This Week in Freudenfreude: Clearly, Harald zur Hausen Deserved His Nobel
The Darwin Awards "recognize" people who improve the human gene pool by dying (or becoming sterile) as a result of their own stupidity. The Mark Twain Prize recognizes American humorists; good timing, as this year's ceremony is scheduled for Sunday.

Entirely correct. The Saturday hint has EGOT hidden in it—a famous acronym for "Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony." And this item's headline adds the Victoria Cross to the mix.

Here are the first 60 readers to get it right:

M.B. in Albany, NY
R.D. in Cheshire, CT
S.K. in Ardmore, PA
N.H. in London, England, UK
J.N. in Zionsville, IN
B.M. in Chico, CA
R.S. in Landing, NJ
T.F. in Craftsbury Common, VT
P.A. in Redwood City, CA
M.Z. in Sharon, MA
D.G. in Lac-Brome, QC, Canada
D.E. in High Springs, FL
K.H. in Albuquerque, NM
J.F. in Fayetteville, NC
K.F. in Berea, KY
T.K. in Half Moon Bay, St. Kitts
P.R. in Havertown, PA
J.M. in Eagle Mills, NY
M.K. in Seattle, WA
J.S. in Huntington Station, NY
A.B.W. in New Haven, CT
A.F. in Minneapolis, MN
J.H. in Lake Forest, CA
M.T. in Wheat Ridge, CO
A.C. in Kingston, MA
H.M. in Portland, ME
Z.K. in Albany, NY
M.M. in Dunellen, NJ
M.K. in Long Branch, NJ
E.S. in Providence, RI

R.G. in Washington, DC
T.K. in Manchester, MO
D.P. in Mt. Rainier, MD
D.E. in Ann Arbor, MI
M.A. in Soquel, CA
R.M. in Summerville, SC
D.M. in Oakland, CA
J.W. in Victoria, BC, Canada
R.N. in Cleveland, OH
D.S. in Layton, UT
R.E. in Birmingham, AL
A.D. in Vass, NC
S.R. in Robbinsville, NJ
M.W. in Altea, Spain
G.H. in Acton, ME
J.C. in Johns Creek, GA
J.C.B. in Seattle, WA
B.F. in Nashville, TN
D.H. in Portland, OR
A.L.C in Portland, OR
M.H. in Ottawa, ON, Canada
D.B. in Pittsboro, NC
S.D. in Wolfforth, TX
G.M. in Arlington, VA
D.D. in Bucks County, PA
B.R. in Arlington, MA
M.T. in Simpsonville, SC
J.S. in Los Angeles, CA
E.J. in Homewood, AL
D.B. in Glendale, CA

The 60th correct response was received at 9:26 a.m. PT on Friday.

For this week's theme, it relies on one word in some headlines, multiple words in others and it's in the category Music. For a hint, we'll suggest you re-read the note at the very top of the page today.

If you have a guess, send it to comments@electoral-vote.com with subject line July 3 Headlines. (Z)

This item appeared on www.electoral-vote.com. Read it Monday through Friday for political and election news, Saturday for answers to reader's questions, and Sunday for letters from readers.

www.electoral-vote.com State polls All Senate candidates