We decided to announce our Hidden Figures winner on October 11^th which is International Day of the Girl Child. Our company vision is to empower boys and girls, and we support the global movement to back the progress of girls and women around the world! #dayofthegirl

Zoe Ganatra, our Inspired by Real Kids Hidden Figures competition winner, nominated Kate Warne as the woman she would love us to honour, but who is Kate Warne, and why did we choose her?

There are 1.1 billion girls in the world today, but “their dreams and potential are often thwarted by discrimination, violence and lack of equal opportunities”. Kate Warne is an amazing example of a woman who broke the mould in her time, and could be a huge inspiration for girls to always go after your dream – this is why we chose her as our Hidden Figure.

Kate Warne was the first female detective, in 1856, in the Pinkerton Detective Agency and went on to become the superintendent of the female bureau of the Chicago office. The defining case of her career was when she foiled an assassination attempt on the life of, the newly elected, Abraham Lincoln, who was travelling to his inauguration. Not only did she smuggle messages to Lincoln’s party, but she also helped smuggle the President himself on to a train that would pass through Baltimore with him undetected.

The Democratic Enquirer of Ohio (issued 19^th March 1868) had this to say about Warne: “Up to the time of her death, her whole life had been devoted to the service into which she had entered in her younger years. She was undoubtedly the best female detective in America, if not the world.”

The story of Kate Warne is not a well-known one - some say this in unfair, as her name fades from history, yet others argue this is a testament to how good a spy she really was! Allan Pinkerton named her as one of his best five detectives ever - “She succeeded far beyond my utmost expectations. Mrs. Warne never let me down!”

We believe she is the perfect Hidden Figure to honour, with a product being created inspired directly by her and her fascinating story. Thanks again to our winner Zoe for bringing this amazing story to light 😊 Do you think Kate Warne was the best Hidden Figure to choose as our winner? Let us know in the comments who you would pick!

Lottie, Finn & Friends are Inspired by Real Kids - have you entered this months Autumn Adventures Outfit Design Competition? Find out more about that, here. 

Sources:

Library of Congress - Celebrating Women’s History: America’s First Female P.I. – link here

ATI – The Untold Story of Kate Warne, The World’s First Female P.I. – link here

Check out some of the products that have been Inspired by Real Kids or by empowering women...