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Work life balance matters so 2026 must see National Geographic!

The best places in the world to travel to in 2026 — National Geographic From a legendary Alpine range to a less-traveled but no less stunning alternative to the Mediterranean, here are the year’s must-visit destinations, handpicked by National Geographic’s editors, photographers, and adventurers.

In celebration of today's Boston Marathon, we're sharing the dramatic story of the first woman to officially run in the world's oldest annual marathon. Kathrine Switzer’s experience is a revealing illustration of the barriers that trailblazing women athletes had to overcome and of how far girls and women in sports have come in only a few decades. Switzer was a 20-year-old college student at Syracuse University in 1967 when she registered for the race using her initials, K.V. Switzer. Not realizing that she was a woman, who were barred from participating in the Boston Marathon for over 70 years, race officials issued her an entry number.

During the race, marathon official Jock Semple attempted to physically remove Switzer from the marathon after discovering she was female. Other runners, including Switzer’s boyfriend Tom Miller, blocked Semple and she was able to complete the marathon. Photographs of the incident and the story of Switzer’s participation in the marathon made global headlines. Switzer's record-setting run as the Boston Marathon’s first registered female runner came one year after the historic run of Bobbi Gibb, who disguised herself and snuck in to run the marathon in 1966.

After the marathon, Switzer became deeply engaged in efforts to increase girls’ and women’s access to sports and she and other women runners finally convinced the Boston Athletic Association to drop their discriminatory policies and allow women to participate in 1972. Today, nearly half of Boston Marathon entrants are female. Switzer also helped lead the drive for the inclusion of a women’s marathon in the Olympic Games -- a victory which was achieved at long last with the first women's marathon at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

As for the individuals captured in this dramatic moment, Semple later publicly apologized to Switzer and the two reconciled. After the rule was changed to allow women in the marathon, he became a staunch supporter of women racers. Looking back at what she called the “great shoving incident," Switzer reflected, "these moments change your life and change the sport. Everybody’s belief in their own capability changed in that one moment, and a negative incident turned into one of the most positive.”

To share this inspiring story with children, there's a fantastic picture book "Her Fearless Run: Kathrine Switzer's Historic Boston Marathon" for ages 6 to 10 at https://www.amightygirl.com/her-fearless-run

For adults who would like to read more about Kathrine Switzer's inspiring story, we recommend her autobiography, "Marathon Woman: Running the Race to Revolutionize Women's Sports," at https://www.amightygirl.com/marathon-woman

Girls and women fought for decades for access to sports programs and won a huge victory in 1972 with the passage of Title IX which prohibited s*x discrimination in school sports or other educations programs receiving federal support. To introduce kids to this landmark civil rights legislation and the fierce fight necessary to win this victory for girls and women, we recommend the new picture book "An Equal Shot: How the Law Title IX Changed America" for ages 4 to 8 (https://www.amightygirl.com/an-equal-shot) and "Let Me Play: The Story of Title IX" for ages 9 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/let-me-play)

For an excellent picture book about women breaking athletic records throughout history, we also recommend "Girls With Guts!" for ages 6 to 9 at https://www.amightygirl.com/girls-with-guts

And, for a fantastic t-shirt that speaks to the fact that strength has nothing to do with gender, check out the “I'm not strong for a girl. I'm just strong.” t-shirt for both kids and adults at https://www.amightygirl.com/strong-t-shirt

Photo Credit: Harry Trask, Boston Herald via Kathrine Switzer

Did you know that George Washington had the largest distillery in the region of Mount Vernon and even today they still sell his whiskey there at MV. Fun little presidents day trivia.

Happy V day CTS feeps. The history of Valentines day is tricky, murky and quite frankly an unknown. Was it a pagan holiday? was it the origin of the church or the romans? was it that Emperor Claudius II decided young men made better soldiers and forbid marriage and Love and put to death anyone that did marry? who knows but here's some history on it. In the meantime know that we are wishing you whatever your holiday is today on February 14th. Enjoy!

History of Valentine’s Day What are the historical origins of Valentine's Day? Get the facts. Learn how romantic cards helped commercialize this day of love.