Babe Zaharias - A Badass Woman You Need to Know!

We believe that jewelry should empower and make the wearer feel strong and beautiful. So we're pausing today to celebrate a Queens Metal inspiration -a strong, beautiful female who kicked ass and did things her way.

Have you ever heard of Babe Didrikson Zaharias? At a time when female athletes were considered an oddity, Babe excelled at baseball, golf, tennis, track, baseball, and numerous other sports. She won two gold medals in track and field, was inducted in to the World Golf Hall of Fame, and pitched in major league baseball games. 

Born in 1911, Babe's life as an athlete first began as a high school basketball player in Beaumont, Texas. Her skills were so impressive that, while still in high school, she was recruited to play on a local amateur team and eventually became an All-American player. 

She then began to focus on track and field. At the National Women's AAU Track Meet in 1931, she won first place in eight events and was second in a ninth. At the 1932 Olympics games, Babe competed in three events - the maximum amount of events women were allowed to compete in at the time - winning two gold medals and a silver, and breaking four world records. 

Eventually Babe turned her sights to golf, the sport that would define the rest of her life. In the 1930's and 40's, she dominated the sport, winning 31 tournaments including three US Women's Opens. She was a founding member of the Ladies Professional Golf Association and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

In addition to these numerous and impressive achievements, Babe also excelled in baseball, where she pitched several times in major league baseball games and still to this day holds the world record for farthest baseball throw by a woman. She also was a notable swimmer, diver, bowler and volleyball athlete. 

Babe's personal life was dominated by athletics. She married professional wrestler George Zaharias, who she met while playing golf. Though they reportedly sought to adopt, they were denied and never had children. Babe also had a long term, purported romantic relationship with the golfer Betty Dodd, who lived with Babe and her husband for the last six years of Babe's life. Babe died of cancer in 1956 at the age of 45.