ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Blanche Ray Alden

Blanche Ray Alden was a woman who lived a long time ago and did some very important things. She was born in 1875 and grew up in a time when not many women had the chance to do all the things that they wanted to do. But Blanche had big dreams and she was really smart, so she worked hard to make them come true.

Blanche loved learning and reading, and she was especially interested in languages. She became an expert in lots of different languages, like French, Italian, and Spanish. She even wrote some books to help people learn these languages too!

But Blanche didn't stop there. She also wanted to help other women learn things too. So she started teaching at a school for girls in New York City. She was a really good teacher and her students loved her.

But Blanche still had more big dreams. She wanted to travel the world and learn about new cultures. So she applied to work for the United States government as a diplomat. That means she would get to travel to different countries and help represent the United States to people in those countries.

She was one of the first women to become a diplomat, which was a really big deal. She traveled all over the world and learned even more languages. She was so good at her job that the government recognized her with awards and honors.

Blanche did so many amazing things in her life and showed that women can do anything they set their minds to. She passed away in 1944, but her legacy lives on and inspires many people, especially girls who dream big.