NYT, Overlooked

This new feature from the New York Times, Overlooked, focuses on showcasing obituaries from important and influential women in history that they had, until now, not spotlighted their achievements in their passing. Here's their own take on why their doing this:

Obituary writing is more about life than death: the last word, a testament to a human contribution.

Yet who gets remembered - and how - inherently involves judgment. To look back at the obituary archives can, therefore, be a stark lesson in how society valued various achievements and achievers.

Interestingly enough, the past didn't value these women - at least in terms of honoring them in their passing. All of the names on the list are surprising - i.e. Sylvia Plath, Henrietta Lacks, Ada Lovelace - but it's refreshing to have an easy resource for learning more about them.

See also: When Women Stopped Coding.