“We never can tell how our lives may work to the account of the general good, and we are not wise enough to know if we have fulfilled our mission or not.”—Ellen Swallow RichardsBorn this day in 1842: Ellen Swallow Richards (1842–1911), first woman to study science at MIT, promoter of science education for women, and pioneer in the fields of urban and industrial sanitation, food safety, water purity, ecology, and many other environmental sciences.