Ever since she was a little girl, Jane Addams hoped to help people in need. She wanted to create a place where people could find food, work, and community. In 1880, she chose a house in a run-down Chicago neighborhood in which she lived and tuned it into Hull House, a settlement home for the needy. She eventually added a playground, kindergarten, and a public bath. By 1907, Hull House included thirteen buildings and by the early 1920s, more...

Sometimes, one moment changes a person's life. And that person goes on to change other lives. That's what happened to Frances Perkins. After she witnessed the 1911 catastrophic fire at the Triangle Waist Company, in which one hundred and forty-six people died, she devoted her life to improving conditions for workers. Frances became the first woman to serve in a president's cabinet. As Secretary of Labor under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, she helped...