Tiny woman welder made WWII history

A British woman who made history by earning the same or more than her male counterparts as a World War II welder turned 100 this week.

Edith Kent celebrated with a hotel tea dance with 50 friends and family members, including her 105-year-old sister.

Kent -- at 4 feet, 11 inches tall -- was small enough to crawl inside torpedo tubes, making her quite handy to have around in wartime, the Times of London reported Thursday.

A former barmaid, she began working at Devonport dockyard in Plymouth in 1941. She was so good she received the same salary as the men in her pay range in 1943, and sometimes more, an achievement unheard of then, the Times said.

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