List of American women's firsts facts for kids

This page is all about amazing American women who were the first to do something important! It's a list of their 'firsts' – times when a woman in America achieved something big for the very first time. These achievements really changed history!

Pioneering Women in the 17th Century

• 1635
  • Anne Hutchinson was the first American woman to start a new Protestant religious group.
• 1640
  • Anne Bradstreet was the first poet to have her work published in the early American colonies.
• 1647
  • Margaret Brent was the first American woman to ask for the right to vote.

Remarkable Achievements in the 18th Century

• 1700s
  • Henrietta Johnston was the first known female portrait painter in the American colonies. She was also the first woman to use pastels for art.
• 1739
  • Elizabeth Timothy was the first woman to print a formal newspaper. She was also the first woman to own a business license in the colonies.
• 1750
  • Jane Colden was the first woman botanist in America. Botanists study plants.
• 1756
  • Lydia Taft was the first woman known to legally vote in Colonial America. She was given permission to vote by a town meeting in Massachusetts.
• 1762
  • Ann Smith Franklin was the first female newspaper editor in America.
• 1776
  • Margaret Corbin was the first woman to serve as a soldier in the American Revolutionary War. She also received a pension for her service.
• 1784
  • Hannah Adams was the first American woman to become a professional writer.
  • Hannah Slater was the first American woman to be granted a patent. A patent protects an invention.

19th Century Trailblazers

Early 1800s: New Beginnings

• 1808
  • Jane Aitken was the first American woman to print the Bible in English.
• 1812
  • Lucy Brewer was one of the first American women to join the United States Marine Corps.
• 1828
  • Sarah Hale was the first American woman to become editor of a major magazine for women. This was Godey's Lady's Book.
• 1835
  • Harriot Kezia Hunt was one of the first American women to work as a doctor. She was very successful.
• 1840
  • Dorothy Catherine Draper was the first woman to be photographed.
• 1846
  • Sarah Bagley was the first woman in America to become a telegraph operator.
  • Frances Whitcher was the first important female comic writer in America. She was also the first best-selling woman humorist.
• 1848
  • Maria Mitchell was the first female astronomer in the United States. She was also the first woman elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
• 1849
  • Elizabeth Blackwell, born in England, was the first woman to earn a medical degree in America.

Mid-1800s: Breaking Barriers

Harriet Tubman around 1885

• 1850
  • Harriet Tubman was the first American woman to lead an underground railroad. This helped slaves escape to freedom. Some call her the "Queen of the Underground Railroad".
• 1853
  • Antoinette Brown Blackwell was the first woman ordained as a minister in America. She was ordained by the Congregational Church.
• 1855
  • Anne McDowell was the first American woman to publish a newspaper completely run by women. It was called "Women's Advocate".
  • Emeline Roberts Jones was the first woman to practice dentistry in the United States. She became an assistant to her dentist husband.
• 1866
  • Mary Walker was the first woman in America to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor.
  • Lucy Hobbs Taylor was the first woman in America to graduate from a dental school. She graduated from the Ohio College of Dental Surgery.
• 1869
  • Arabella Mansfield was the first American woman to become a professional lawyer. She was allowed to practice law in Iowa.

Late 1800s: New Roles and Rights

Victoria Woodhull around 1870

• 1870
  • Louisa Swain was the first woman in the United States to vote in a general election. She voted on September 6, 1870, in Laramie, Wyoming.
  • Esther Hobart Morris was the first woman in America to serve as a Justice of the peace.
  • Ada Kepley was the first woman to graduate from law school in America. She graduated from Northwestern University School of Law.
• 1871
  • Frances Willard was the first American woman college president. She also led the Women's Christian Temperance Union.
• 1872
  • Victoria Woodhull was the first woman to run for President of the United States.
• 1873
  • Ellen Swallow Richards was one of the first American women to become a professional chemist. She was also the first to earn a degree in Chemistry. She was the first woman to graduate from a science or technology school in America. This was the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
• 1876
  • Louise Blanchard Bethune was the first American woman to become a professional architect.
• 1877
  • Helen Magill White was the first woman in America to earn a Ph.D. degree. Her degree was in Greek.
• 1878
  • Emma Abbott was the first American woman to start her own opera company.
• 1880
  • Belva Ann Lockwood was the first woman to argue a case before the Supreme Court of the United States.
  • Mary Myers, a balloonist, was the first woman to fly solo. She did this on July 4, 1880, in Little Falls, New York.
• 1881
  • Emma Amelia Hall became the first woman to lead a state institution in Michigan. She was the first superintendent of Michigan's Girls Training School.
• 1887
  • Susanna M. Salter was elected mayor of Argonia, Kansas. She became the first woman mayor in the United States.
  • Phoebe Couzins was the first American woman to serve as a United States Marshal.
• 1890
  • Amanda Theodosia Jones started the first all-women's company. It was called Women's Canning and Preserving Company.
• 1891
  • Marie Owens, born in Canada, was hired as America's first female police officer. She joined the Chicago Police Department.
  • Irene Williams Coit was the first woman to pass the Yale College entrance examination.
• 1892
  • Wilhelmina Weber Furlong was the first American woman Modernist studio painter. She was part of the early American Modernism art scene in Manhattan.
• 1893
  • Florence Kelley was the first woman to hold a statewide office. She was appointed Chief Factory Inspector for Illinois.
• 1896
  • May Irwin was the first actress in America to kiss on screen. She did this in the film The Kiss.
• 1899
  • Eleonora de Cisneros was the first American trained opera singer hired by the Metropolitan Opera company.

20th Century Milestones

Early 1900s: Stepping Up

May Sutton

• 1900
  • Margaret Abbott was the first American woman to win an Olympic event. She won the women's golf tournament at the 1900 Paris Games.
  • Carro Clark was the first American woman to start, own, and manage a book publishing company. It was The C. M. Clark Company in Boston.
• 1905
  • May Sutton was the first American woman to win Wimbledon in tennis.
• 1907
  • Dorothy Tyler was the first known American woman jockey.
• 1908
  • Lola Baldwin was the first known woman to work as a police officer in the United States. She worked at the Portland Police Bureau.
  • The first Mother's Day was celebrated. Anna Jarvis helped make this holiday recognized.
  • The first U.S. Navy nurses, called the Sacred Twenty, were appointed. They were all women and the first women to formally serve in the U.S. Navy.
  • Poet Julia Ward Howe was the first woman elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
• 1909
  • Carolyn B. Shelton became the first woman to serve as acting governor of a U.S. state. She performed duties as governor of Oregon for a weekend.

1910s: New Horizons

• 1910
  • Alice Stebbins Wells was the first American-born woman sworn in as a police officer. She joined the Los Angeles Police Department.
  • Florence Lawrence was America's first movie star.
• 1911
  • Harriet Quimby was the first woman licensed as an airplane pilot in America.
  • Clara Elizabeth Chan Lee was the first Chinese American woman to register to vote in the United States. She registered in California in 1911.
• 1912
  • Girl Guides of America (now Girl Scouts of the USA) was started. It was the first voluntary organization for girls.
• 1914
  • Caresse Crosby was the first woman to get a patent for a brassiere.
• 1916
  • November 7 - Jeannette Rankin became the first woman elected to a national office. She represented Montana in the U.S. House of Representatives.
• 1917
  • Loretta Perfectus Walsh was the first woman to officially join the U.S. Navy.
• 1918
  • Annette Abbott Adams was the first woman to serve as Assistant Attorney General. This was the highest legal position any woman had held.
  • Opha May Johnson was the first woman to officially join the United States Marines.
  • Myrtle Hazard was the first uniformed woman to serve in the United States Coast Guard.
  • Sara Teasdale was the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. This was for her collection Love Songs.

1920s: Gaining Ground

Edith Newbold Jones Wharton

• 1920
  • Marie Luhring was the first woman in America to become an automotive engineer.
• 1921
  • Edith Wharton was the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. This was for her novel The Age of Innocence.
  • Margaret Gorman was the first winner of the Miss America beauty pageant.
  • June 20 - Alice Mary Robertson became the first woman to lead a session in the U.S. House of Representatives.
  • Zona Gale was the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. This was for her play Miss Lulu Bett.
• 1922
  • November 21 - Rebecca Latimer Felton became the first woman to serve in the U.S. Senate. She was appointed to represent Georgia for one day.
• 1923
  • Florence King became the first woman to win a case before the U.S. Supreme Court.
  • Ella Lillian Wall Van Leer became the first woman to serve in an office of the American Legion. She later helped women get into Georgia Tech.
• 1924
  • Florence Bolan became the first unofficial U.S. Secret Service special agent.
  • Juliana R. Force was the first woman to show folk art in a public exhibition in America.
• 1925
  • Nellie Tayloe Ross became the first woman elected governor of a U.S. state. She was elected governor of Wyoming.
  • An All-Woman Supreme Court in Texas was the first state Supreme Court with a majority of women.
• 1926
  • Gertrude Ederle was the first woman to swim across the English Channel.
• 1928
  • Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly across the Atlantic ocean.
  • Genevieve R. Cline was the first woman appointed as a United States federal judge.

1930s: Leadership and Recognition

Jane Addams

• 1930
  • Ellen Church was the first female flight attendant in America. She suggested having nurses on planes to make people feel safer.
• 1931
  • Jane Addams was the first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. She shared the prize.
• 1932
  • Hattie Caraway was the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate.
• 1933
  • Ruth Bryan Owen became the first woman to serve as a chief diplomat at the minister rank. She served as minister to Denmark and Iceland.
  • Frances Perkins became the first woman to serve in a presidential cabinet. She was the first Secretary of Labor.
• 1934
  • Gertrude Atherton was the first woman to be president of the American National Academy of Literature.
  • Lettie Pate Whitehead was the first woman to serve as a director of a major company. This was The Coca-Cola Company.
• 1935
  • Kate Galt Zaneis was the first woman to lead a state college or university in the United States. She became president of Southeastern Oklahoma State Teachers College.
• 1937
  • Grace Hudowalski was the first woman to climb all 46 of the Adirondack High Peaks.
• 1938
  • Pearl S. Buck was the first American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.
• 1939
  • Molly Kool was North America's first registered female sea captain.

1940s: Wartime and Beyond

Georgia Neese Clark Gray

• 1940s
  • Lois Fegan Farrell was the first female reporter to cover a professional hockey team in America.
• 1942
  • Anna Leah Fox was the first woman to receive the Purple Heart. She received it for being wounded at Pearl Harbor.
  • Mildred H. McAfee was the first woman commissioned in the U.S. Naval Reserve. She was also the first woman to receive the Navy Distinguished Service Medal.
• 1943
  • Nellie Neilson was the first woman to serve as president of the American Historical Association.
  • Edith Ellen Greenwood was the first woman to receive the Soldier's Medal.
• 1944
  • Cordelia E Cook was the first woman to receive both the Bronze Star Medal and the Purple Heart.
  • Ann Baumgartner was the first woman to fly a jet aircraft. She flew the Bell YP-59A.
• 1946
  • Frances Xavier Cabrini was the first American recognized as a saint by the Roman Catholic church.
• 1947
  • Gerty Cori was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. She shared the prize. Born in Prague, she became a U.S. citizen in 1928.
• 1948
  • Esther McGowin Blake was the first woman to join the U.S. Air Force. She enlisted on the first day women could join.
• 1949
  • Georgia Neese Clark Gray was the first woman Treasurer of the United States. She served under President Harry Truman.
  • Eugenie Anderson became the first woman to serve as an ambassador. She was the first United States Ambassador to Denmark.
  • Shirley Dinsdale was the first person to receive the Emmy Award.
  • Sara Christian was the first woman to compete in a major stock car race. She raced in NASCAR's first Strictly Stock event.

1950s: Breaking New Ground

Tenley Albright in Tokyo 1953

• 1950
  • On May 12, Emma Bailey held an auction in Brattleboro, Vermont. She became the first American woman auctioneer.
• 1951
  • Maryly Van Leer Peck became Vanderbilt University's first chemical engineer graduate. She also became the first woman to get an M.S. and Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Florida.
  • December 16: Anna Der-Vartanian became the U.S. Navy's first female master chief petty officer. This made her the first female E-9 in the U.S. Armed Services.
  • Paula Ackerman was the first woman in America to perform rabbinical duties.
  • Arie Taylor became the first Black person to be a U.S. Women's Air Force classroom instructor.
  • Helen E. Myers was commissioned as the U.S. Army Dental Corps' first woman dental officer.
• 1953
  • Fae Adams was the first female to receive a regular commission as a doctor in the United States Army.
  • Oveta Culp Hobby became the first woman to serve as Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare. She served under President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
  • Toni Stone was the first of three women to play Negro league baseball. She was the first woman to play regularly on an American big-league professional baseball team.
  • Ruby Bradley, upon leaving Korea, was given a full-dress honor guard ceremony. She was the first woman to receive a national or international guard salute.
• 1954
  • Jewel Prestage was the first African-American woman to complete a doctorate in political science in the United States.
• 1955
  • Betty Robbins, born in Greece, was the first female cantor (singer of Jewish prayers) in Judaism's history.
  • Clotilde Dent Bowen became the U.S. Army's first Black female physician to become a colonel.
• 1956
  • Tenley Albright was the first woman in America to win the Olympic gold medal in figure skating.
• 1957
  • Decoy: Police Woman was the first television show to feature a female police officer. It was also the first show built around a female main character.
• 1959
  • Arlene Pieper became the first woman to officially finish a marathon in the United States. She finished the Pikes Peak Marathon in Colorado.

1960s: Cultural Shifts

Judy Garland at Greek Theater

• • Wilma L. Vaught became the first woman to deploy with a Strategic Air Command operational unit.
• 1960
  • Master Gunnery Sergeant Geraldine M. Moran became the first female Marine promoted to E-9.
• 1961
  • The first female U.S. Marine to be promoted to Sergeant Major was Bertha Peters Billeb.
  • Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy became the first Catholic First Lady of the United States.
• 1962
  • Pearl Faurie became the first SPAR in the U.S. Coast Guard to be promoted to E-9.
  • Judy Garland became the first woman to win Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards. This was for Judy at Carnegie Hall.
• 1963
  • Maria Goeppert Mayer was the first American woman to win a Nobel Prize in Physics. She shared the prize. She was born in Poland but became a U.S. citizen in 1933.
  • Sarah T. Hughes was the first and only woman to swear in the President of the United States.
• 1964
  • Jerrie Mock was the first woman to fly solo around the world. She did this in a Cessna 180.
  • Isabel Benham was the first female partner in R.W. Pressprich & Co. This made her the first female partner at any Wall Street bond house.
  • Alice K. Kurashige became the first Japanese-American woman commissioned in the United States Marine Corps.
• 1965
  • Rachel Henderlite was the first woman ordained in the Presbyterian Church in the United States.
• 1966
  • Roberta Louise "Bobbi" Gibb was the first woman to run the entire Boston Marathon.
• 1967
  • Victorine du Pont Homsey was the first woman elected as a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects.
  • Kathrine Switzer was the first woman to run the Boston Marathon with a numbered entry.
  • Muriel Siebert was the first female member of the New York Stock Exchange.

1970s: Breaking Barriers in Sports and Politics

Anthony dollar coin

• 1970
  • Diane Crump was the first woman in America to ride in the Kentucky Derby.
  • Patricia Palinkas was the first woman to play professionally in an American football game.
• 1972
  • Alene Duerk became the first woman to reach the rank of rear admiral in the U.S. Navy.
  • Anna Mae Hays and Elizabeth P. Hoisington were the first women in the United States promoted to brigadier general.
  • Sally Priesand was ordained on June 3, 1972. She was the first woman ordained as a rabbi in the United States.
  • Katharine Graham was the first female Fortune 500 CEO. She was CEO of the Washington Post company.
  • Tonie Nathan was the first woman in America to receive an electoral vote for vice president.
• 1973
  • Shirley Muldowney was the first woman to receive a NHRA license to drive Top Fuel dragsters.
• 1974
  • Jeannette Piccard was the first female balloon pilot licensed in the United States. She was also the first woman to ascend to the stratosphere.
  • Ella T. Grasso was the first woman elected a U.S. governor who was not the wife or widow of a governor. She was elected governor of Connecticut.
• 1975
  • Barbara Ostfeld-Horowitz was the first female cantor ordained in Reform Judaism.
  • Carla Anderson Hills became the first woman to serve as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. She served under President Gerald Ford.
  • Alice Rivlin became the founder and first woman to serve as Director of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).
• 1976
  • Shirley Black, also known as Shirley Temple, was the first woman to be chief of protocol for President Gerald Ford.
  • Lucy Giovinco was the first female in America to win the AMF Bowling World Cup.
  • Women first began to attend the U.S. service academies.
  • Shirley Muldowney was the first woman to win a NHRA national event.
  • Emily Howell Warner was the first woman to become an American airline captain.
• 1977
  • Janet Guthrie was the first woman to compete in the Daytona 500. She was also the first woman to lead a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race.
  • Janet Guthrie was the first woman to compete in the Indianapolis 500 event.
  • Shirley Muldowney was the first woman to win a NHRA championship in the Top Fuel category.
  • Barbara McClintock was the first woman to win an unshared Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. As an American, she was the first American woman to do so.
  • Juanita M. Kreps became the first woman to serve as Secretary of Commerce. She served under President Jimmy Carter.
• 1978
  • January 25 - Muriel Humphrey Brown was the first former Second Lady of the United States to serve in the U.S. Congress. She was appointed to the U.S. Senate.
  • Marcia Frederick, at age fifteen, was the first woman in America to win World gold in gymnastics.
  • Mary E. Clarke was the first woman to achieve the rank of major general in the United States Army.
  • Nancy Teeters became the first woman to serve on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors.
• 1979
  • Susan B. Anthony was the first woman in America shown on a coin.
  • August 3 - Patricia Roberts Harris became the first woman and first person of color to serve multiple posts in a presidential cabinet. She was Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and Secretary of Health and Human Services.
  • November 30 - Shirley Hufstedler became the first woman to serve as Secretary of Education. She served under President Jimmy Carter.

1980s: More Firsts in Space and Sports

Sally Ride was the first American woman to become an astronaut.

• 1981
  • Sandra Day O'Connor became the first woman to serve as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. She was the first woman ever to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court.
• 1982
  • Karen N. Horn became the first woman to serve as president of any of the 12 Federal Reserve Banks. She was president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.
  • Leah Lowenstein was the first woman dean of a co-educational medical school in the United States.
• 1983
  • Elizabeth Dole became the first woman to serve as Secretary of Transportation. She served under President Ronald Reagan.
  • Sally Ride was the first American woman in space.
  • Vanessa L. Williams was the first African-American winner of the Miss America pageant.
  • Linda Foust was the first woman to drive in the U.S. Presidential motorcade as an Army non-commissioned officer.
• 1984
  • Geraldine Ferraro was the first woman in America to run for vice president on a major political party's platform.
  • Joan Benoit won the first women's Olympic marathon.
  • Kathryn D. Sullivan was the first American woman to conduct a spacewalk.
• 1985
  • Penny Harrington was appointed as Chief of Police in Portland, Oregon. This made her the first woman to lead a major city police department.
  • Libby Riddles was the first woman to win the Iditarod.
• 1986
  • Ann Bancroft was the first woman to reach the North Pole by foot and dogsled.
  • Nancy Lieberman joined the United States Basketball League (USBL). This made her the first woman to play in a men's professional basketball league.
• 1987

Aretha Franklin

• • Aretha Franklin was the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
• 1988
  • Dr. Lenora Fulani was the first female presidential candidate to get on the ballot in all 50 states.
  • Shawna Robinson was the first woman to win a NASCAR-sanctioned stock car race.
• 1990
  • Jennifer York was the first woman to form a Christian rock band. Her band, Rachel Rachel, was all-female.
• 1991
  • Geraldine Morrow was the first female president of the American Dental Association.
  • Minnesota's Supreme Court became the first state supreme court with a majority of women judges.
• 1992
  • Manon Rhéaume was the first woman to play in a National Hockey League game. She played goalie for the Tampa Bay Lightning.
  • Mona Van Duyn was the first woman named US poet laureate.
• 1993
  • Hazel R. O'Leary became the first woman to serve as Secretary of Energy. She served under President Bill Clinton.
  • Halli Reid was the first woman to swim across Lake Erie.
  • Janet Reno became the first woman to serve as Attorney General. She served under President Bill Clinton.
  • Sheila Widnall became the first woman to lead a branch of the United States Armed Forces. She was the first Secretary of the Air Force.
• 1994
  • Beverly Harvard became the first Black female police chief of a major city. This was Atlanta, Georgia.
  • Judith Rodin was the first permanent female president of an Ivy League University. This was the University of Pennsylvania.
  • Alice Rivlin became the first woman to serve as Director of the Office of Management and Budget.
• 1995
  • Eileen Collins was the female pilot for the Space Shuttle (on STS-63).
  • Roberta Cooper Ramo was the first female President of the American Bar Association.
• 1996
  • Alice Rivlin became the first woman to serve as Vice Chair of the Federal Reserve.
• 1997
  • Madeleine Albright, born in Prague, became the first woman to serve as Secretary of State. She served under President Bill Clinton.
  • Liz Heaston was the first woman to play and score in a college football game.
  • Nancy Dickey was the first female president of the American Medical Association.
  • Hazel J. Harper was the first female president of the National Dental Association.
  • Janet Rosenberg Jagan was the first American woman elected as a head of state and head of government. She became the President of the Co‑operative Republic of Guyana.
• 1998
  • Julie Taymor was the first woman to win a Tony award for best director of a musical.
  • Fannie Gaston-Johansson was the first African American woman to become a tenured full professor at Johns Hopkins University.
• 1999
  • Eileen Collins was the first female commander of a Space Shuttle mission (on STS-93).
  • Carly Fiorina was the first woman to lead a Fortune 50 company (Hewlett-Packard).

21st Century Firsts

2000s: New Millennium, New Leaders

Official portrait of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, 2007

• 2000
  • Spring - Kathleen A. McGrath became the first woman to command a U.S. Navy warship at sea.
  • June 1 - Deborah Walsh became the first woman in the U.S. Coast Guard promoted to Chief Warrant officer in Aviation Engineering.
  • July 1 - Regina Mills became the U.S. Navy's first female Aviation Deck LDO.
  • July - Lucille "Pam" Thompson became the first African-American woman to serve as a U.S. Coast Guard Special Agent.
  • Fall - General Janet E. A. Hicks was promoted to Brigadier General. She became the first female one-star general.
• 2001
  • January 3 - Hillary Clinton was the first former First Lady of the United States to serve in the U.S. Congress. She was elected to represent New York in the U.S. Senate.
  • January 20 - Ann Veneman became the first woman to serve as Secretary of Agriculture. She served under President George W. Bush.
  • January 31 - Gale Norton became the first woman to serve as Secretary of the Interior. She served under President George W. Bush.
  • Stephanie Ready was the first female coach of a men's professional league team in 2001. She was an assistant coach for the Greenville Groove.
  • Margaret C. Wilmoth, United States Army Reserve, was promoted to Brigadier General. She became the first nurse and first woman to command a medical brigade as a general officer.
• 2002
  • January 15 - Nancy Pelosi became the first woman elected House whip. This made her the first woman to hold such a position in Congress.
  • Melanie Wood was the first American woman and the second woman overall named a Putnam Fellow.
• 2003
  • January 3 - Nancy Pelosi became the first woman elected House floor leader and minority leader. This made her the first woman to lead a major political party in Congress.
• 2005
  • Danica Patrick was the first woman to lead the Indianapolis 500 race.
  • Rosa Parks was the first woman to lie in honor in the Capitol.
• 2006
  • Effa Manley was the first woman inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
• 2007
  • January 4 - Nancy Pelosi became the first woman elected to serve as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.
• 2008

Kathryn Bigelow at 82nd Academy Awards

• • Hillary Clinton became the first woman to win a major party's presidential nominating contest. She won the New Hampshire Democratic primary.
  • Danica Patrick was the first woman to win an IndyCar Series race. She won the 2008 Indy Japan 300.
  • Sarah Palin was the first female vice presidential nominee of the Republican Party.
  • Ann E. Dunwoody was the first female four-star general in the U.S. Army.
  • The New Hampshire Senate became the first state legislative body to have a majority of female members.
• 2009
  • January 3 - Jeanne Shaheen became the first woman to hold the offices of U.S. Senator and state Governor.
  • January 21 - Hillary Clinton was the first former First Lady of the United States to serve in a presidential cabinet. She was Secretary of State.
  • January 21 - Janet Napolitano became the first woman to serve as Secretary of Homeland Security.
  • Kathryn Bigelow was the first woman to win the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing. This was for The Hurt Locker.
  • Elinor Ostrom was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Economics. She shared the prize.
  • Nancy Lieberman became the coach of the Texas Legends in the NBA Development League. This made her the first woman to coach a professional men's basketball team.
  • Kathleen O'Loughlin was the first female executive director of the American Dental Association.

2010s: Continued Progress

• 2010
  • Nikki Haley was the first female governor of South Carolina. She was also the first person of an ethnic minority to serve as governor of South Carolina.
  • Kathryn Bigelow was the first woman to win the Academy Award, the BAFTA Award, and the Critics' Choice Award for Best Director. All were for The Hurt Locker.
  • Jennifer Gorovitz was the first woman to lead a large Jewish federation in America.
• 2011
  • Angella Reid was the first female White House Chief Usher.
  • Kamala Harris was the first woman Attorney General of California.
• 2012
  • February 2 - Elizabeth MacDonough was the first female appointed as Parliamentarian of the United States Senate.
  • Janet Wolfenbarger was the first female four-star general in the U.S. Air Force.
  • Katy Perry was the first female artist in history to have five consecutive number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 from one album.
  • Shannon Eastin was the first woman to officiate a National Football League game.
  • New Hampshire elected the first all-woman congressional delegation in U.S. history.
• 2013
  • Irina Krush was the first female American to hold the title of Grandmaster in chess.
  • Danica Patrick was the first woman to win a pole in the Daytona 500. She was also the first woman to lead the Daytona 500.
  • Rosie Napravnik became the first woman to ride all three Triple Crown horse races in the same year.
  • Davie Jane Gilmour was the first woman to lead the Board of Directors for Little League.
  • Ashley Freiberg was the first woman to win an overall GT3 Cup Challenge victory in North America.
  • UFC 157 featured the first women's fight in UFC history. It was also the first UFC event led by two female fighters (Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche).
  • Julia Morgan was the first woman to receive the American Institute of Architects' Gold Medal. She received it after her death.
  • Nicole Kirnan was the first woman to coach a professional hockey team in the United States.
  • Erika Schmidt was the first female director of the Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis.
  • Mia Hamm was the first woman inducted into the World Football Hall of Fame in Mexico.
  • General Motors named Mary Barra as its first female CEO. She was the first female CEO of a major automaker.
  • Deborah Rutter was named as the first female president of the Kennedy Center.
  • Jodi Eller was the first woman to complete the 1,515 mile Florida Circumnavigational Saltwater Paddling Trail.
  • The American Council of the Blind (ACB) elected Kim Charlson as its first female president.
  • Lauren Silberman was the first woman to try out at an NFL Regional Scouting Combine.
  • Vanessa O'Brien became the first woman to climb the highest peak on each continent (The Seven Summits) in the shortest time.
• 2014

Official portrait of Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen, 2015

• • February 3 - Janet Yellen became the first woman to serve as Chair of the Federal Reserve.
  • The first women competed in ski jumping at the Olympics. This included three American women: Lindsey Van, Jessica Jerome, and Sarah Hendrickson.
  • Lauryn Williams was the first American woman to win a medal in both the Summer and Winter Olympic games.
  • Jennifer Welter was the first woman non-kicker or placekick-holder to play in a men's pro football game.
  • Michelle J. Howard became the U.S. Navy's first female and first female African-American four-star admiral.
  • Michele A. Roberts was elected as the new Executive Director of the National Basketball Players Association. She was the first woman elected to the highest position of a major U.S. sport's players association.
  • Natalie Nakase was an assistant coach for the Clippers during the 2014 NBA Summer League. She was the first woman to sit on the bench as an NBA assistant.
  • Becky Hammon became the first full-time female coach in the NBA. She was an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs.
  • Anne B. France won the first Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR.
  • Katie Higgins was the first female pilot to join the Blue Angels.
  • Dr. Connie McCaa became the first American woman and the first Mississippi doctor inducted into the American Academy of Ophthalmology's Hall of Fame.
  • Suzy Whaley became the first female officer in the PGA.
  • Susan Morrison was named as the first female executive pastry chef at the White House.
  • Megan Smith was named as the first female Chief Technology Officer of the United States.
  • Megan Brennan was named as the first female United States Postmaster General.
• 2015
  • Jennifer Welter became the first American woman hired to coach in men's pro football.
  • Michelle K. Lee was confirmed as the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). She was the first woman and first person of color to lead the USPTO.
  • Yumi Hogan became the first Korean American first lady of a U.S. state. She was also the first Asian-American first lady in Maryland's history.
• 2016

Hillary Clinton, first woman nominated by a major political party for president

• • Taylor Swift became the first woman to win Album of the Year twice.
  • July 26 - Hillary Clinton was formally nominated at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. She was the first woman nominated for president by a major U.S. political party.
  • Hillary Clinton became the first woman to win the popular vote in a United States presidential election.
  • Carla Hayden became the first female Librarian of Congress.
  • Kellyanne Conway became the first woman to run a successful presidential campaign.
  • Faith Spotted Eagle became the first Native American to receive an electoral vote for president.
  • General Lori Robinson became the first female officer to command a major Unified Combatant Command in the history of the US Armed Forces.
  • Adena Friedman became the first female CEO of NASDAQ.
• 2017
  • Peggy Whitson broke the record for most total days spent in space by any NASA astronaut.
  • Danica Patrick became the first woman to lead the Coca-Cola 600 race.
  • Vanessa O'Brien became the first woman to summit K2, the second tallest mountain.
• 2018
  • Oprah Winfrey became the first African American woman to receive the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award.
  • Gina Haspel became the first woman to be Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
  • Stacey Cunningham became the first female President of the New York Stock Exchange.
  • Ellie Morrison became the first woman elected National Commissioner of the Boy Scouts of America.
  • Carla Provost became the first female chief of the United States Border Patrol.
  • Deb Haaland of New Mexico and Sharice Davids of Kansas became the first Native American women to be elected to Congress.
  • Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota became the first Muslim women to be elected to Congress.
  • Martha McSally of Arizona became the first female senator appointed to Congress after losing an election.
• 2019
  • January 3 - Nancy Pelosi became the first woman elected to serve as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives for non-consecutive terms.
  • Ghazala Hashmi became the first Muslim woman elected to the Senate of Virginia.
  • Carolyn Kindle Betz was among the first female-majority owners to be awarded an MLS franchise.

2020s: A New Decade of Firsts

• 2020

Official portrait of Vice President Kamala Harris, 2021.

• • January 26 - Billie Eilish became the first woman to win all four General Field categories in one ceremony at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.
  • August 19 - Kamala Harris of California was formally nominated as the Democratic candidate for vice president. She became the first woman of color, first African American, and first Asian American to be nominated on a major party ticket.
  • November 7 - Kamala Harris became the first woman elected as Vice President of the United States.
  • November 28 - Sarah Fuller became the first woman to play in a Power 5 football game.
  • December 30 - Becky Hammon became the first female acting head coach in NBA history.
• 2021
  • January 20 - Kamala Harris was inaugurated as the first woman to serve as Vice President of the United States. This made her the most powerful woman in America's political history.
  • January 20 - Kamala Harris became the first woman President of the United States Senate.
  • January 20 - Jill Biden became the first non-Catholic First Lady married to a Catholic President.
  • January 21 - Avril Haines became the first woman to serve as Director of National Intelligence. She served under President Joe Biden.
  • January 26 - Janet Yellen became the first woman to serve as Secretary of the Treasury. She served under President Joe Biden.
  • November 19 - Kamala Harris became the first woman to serve as Acting President of the United States.
• 2024
  • March 3-5 - Nikki Haley became the first woman to win a Republican presidential nominating contest. She won the District of Columbia primary and the Vermont primary.

See also

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