Ms. Magazine Online

SPINNING BEFORE THE BICYCLE
- Apparently, hetaeras (prostitutes) in ancient Greece had to moonlight to get by. Upon excavating the ruins of a huge brothel in Athens, archaeologists discovered the remains of more than one hundred looms. It is believed that the women, called Spinning Hetaeras, spun wool during the day to supplement their incomes. This may be the reason why a brothel was often called an ergasterion (factory).

- Women were so associated with textiles by the late Roman Empire that gynaecea (women's places) became the legal term for weaving, spinning, and dyeing establishments.

- Beginning in the 17th century, never-married women were labeled "spinsters" because work at the spinning wheel was one of the few jobs available to them.

- Spinsters were often treasurers of women's organizations in the 19th century because as single women they had rights (making contracts, opening bank accounts) that married women did not.

SPINNING AFTER THE BICYCLE
- According to the Pedaling History Bicycle Museum in upstate New York, the bicycle craze in the late 19th century "killed the bustle and the corset, instituted 'common-sense dressing' for women, and increased their mobility considerably."

- Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova-Nikolayeva became the first woman to orbit the earth on June 16, 1963.

- At the 2001 World Snowboarding Championships, U.S. snowboarder Dresden Howell performed a backside 360 degree spin and won first place in the women's division.

- Guys, don't try this at home: the Biellmann Spin, invented by Swiss ice skater Denise Biellmann and performed almost exclusively by women, requires amazing flexibility. While spinning on her left leg, the skater reaches over her shoulder and grabs hold of the blade of her right skate, pulling her leg above her head. Only one male skater, Evgeny Plushenko, uses this move in competitions.

- Sybil Herrold, a pioneer disc jockey, was spinning phonograph records as early as 1912. " DJ Pam the Funktress, of the hip-hop group the Coup, once took off her bra through her sleeve while spinning. She is also known for "scratching" records with her breasts.