Original, Real-Life Rosie The Riveters Honored

Rosie the Riveter is one of the most iconic images from 20th century America, one whose legacy lives on today. And now some original, real-life Rosie the Riveters have finally been honored in Washington, D.C. So everyone roll up your sleeve and hold up a fist in salute, because this might be an even bigger deal than you realize.

Rosie the Riveter began as a part of the government effort during WWII to recruit women to work in munitions factories while most male workers were serving as soldiers overseas. The campaign was wildly successful, and women entered the work force in record numbers during the war, with many flocking to serve the war effort by working in munitions factories just like Rosie. Today, Rosie is still around as a less specific but no less powerful symbol of female empowerment and strength. However, she is still very much connected to her WWII origins — in fact, she was loosely based on a real-life munitions worker. That's why it's awesome that a group of women who worked in munitions were just honored in a big way.

On Tuesday, March 22, a group of 30 women who rolled up their sleeves to work during WWII were flown to D.C. as part of the Honor Flight program, a nonprofit venture that flies veterans to our nations capitals to see the monuments built in their honor. And in fact, these real, live Rosie the Riveters seem to still be trailblazers today; this was the first Honor Flight specifically for women, which is just so incredibly cool.

The Honor Flight was funded by The Ford Motor Company and the Yankee Air Museum, and was meant to be part of a celebration of Women's History Month. And it's a good reminder of just how many amazing there are in our nation's history — and just how epic Rosie the Riveter still is.

There is a reason women are still dressing up as Rosie, after all. So in honor of these women, and Women's History Month, here are a few photos of real-life Rosies back in the 1940s.

Happy Women's History Month, everyone!

Images: Wikipedia Commons (5)