Jordan Hearring, Life Editor

Women in history have shaped society as we know it to be and their achievements deserve nothing less than to be celebrated and recognized. Their fight for equality has continued for centuries and still continues today, and their strides to the development of opportunities has arisen from the acts of bravery that feminist activists have taken. Here is a timeline of women’s history.

July 19-20, 1848 – The first women’s rights convention was organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucrieta Mott. More than 300 attendees marched in New York for this historical event.

January 23, 1849 – Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman to graduate from medical school.

May 15, 1869 – Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton founded the National Woman Suffrage Association.

October 16, 1916 – Margaret Sanger opened the first birth control clinic in the United States. The clinic was raided just 10 days later and had to close 2 times due to legal threats. This clinic would close and she would found the American Birth Control League in 1921, which would precede Planned Parenthood.

April 2, 1917 – Jeannette Rankin became the first woman elected in the House of Representatives for the state of Montana. 

August 18, 1920 – 19th Amendment was added to the U.S. Constitution, stating “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.”

May 20, 1932 – Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic.

Dec 1, 1955 – Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man in Montgomery, Alabama. 

May 9, 1960 – The FDA approved the first birth control pill in the world. Margaret Sanger commissioned the pill. 

 June 10, 1963 – Equal Pay Act is signed by JFK, prohibiting sex-based wage discrimination between men and women in the workplace. 

July 2, 1964 – Civil Rights Act is signed by Lyndon B. Johnson, which bans employment discrimination based on race, religion, national origin or sex. 

June 30, 1966 – Betty Friedan founded the National Organization for Women to promote feminist ideals, lead societal change, eliminate discrimination and achieve and protect equal rights among women and girls.

June 23, 1972 – Title IX of the Education Amendments was signed by Richard Nixon. “No person shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial aid assistance.”

January 22, 1973 – The U.S. Supreme Court declared that the U.S. Constitution protects a woman’s legal right to an abortion.

July 7, 1981 – Sandra Day O’Connor was sworn in as the first woman to serve in the U.S. Supreme Court by Ronald Reagan.

March 12, 1993 – Janet Reno was sworn as the first female attorney general by Bill Clinton. 

September 13, 1994 – Bill Clinton signed the Violence Against Women Act, which provided funding for programs that help victims of domestic violence, rape, sexual assault, stalking and other gender-related violence. 

January 4, 2007 – Nancy Pelosi became the first female speaker of the House.

January 24, 2013 – The U.S. military removed the ban against women serving in combat positions.

July 26, 2016 – Hillary Clinton became the first woman to receive a presidential nomination from a major political party. 

January 20, 2021 – Kamala Harris was sworn in as the first woman and first woman of color vice president of the United States.

There is still a lot of work that needs to be done and reform that needs to happen. Women today are still fighting for rights and equality that, on paper, should already be granted to them. The right to an abortion is still a debate, the wage gap is still an issue and there isn’t a lot of representation for women in today’s society. For more information on women’s history, visit http://www.womenshistorymonth.gov.

Categories: Life