Rosie the Riveter was also Rosie the Welder

In the dark days of World War 2, "Rosie the Riveter" became the famous nickname for a generation of women who took up industrial arts like metalworking, welding, and yeah, riveting, to keep industrial production up while the war went on. In many ways, we all owe them just like we do the guys carrying rifles in European plains and South Pacific jungles.

There's a website dedicated to keeping that memory, with a ton of good stuff at Rosie the Riveter.org. There are oral histories, facts, and other nifty stuff.

The Rosie the Riveter Memorial, honoring American Women's Labor During WWII, is the first national monument to celebrate and interpret women's crucial contributions to the World War Two Home Front. It is located in Richmond, CA, in Rosie the Riveter Memorial Park at the site of the former Kaiser Shipyards, which were the largest and most productive of World War II.

These days, a woman in welding is still a curiosity, something you might note and go on. Back in those days, it was revolutionary and vital. In certain places, such as California, plants could not have been run without them.

Here's to you, Rosie.