Timeline of women in mathematics facts for kids

This article explores the amazing journey of women in mathematics throughout history. It highlights their incredible achievements and contributions that have shaped the world of numbers and logic.

Trailblazing Women in Math History

• 350–415 AD: Meet Hypatia, a brilliant Greek philosopher and mathematician from ancient Egypt. She is known as the first well-documented woman in mathematics. Hypatia led a famous school in Alexandria, Egypt, teaching many young men from across the empire.

• 1678: Elena Cornaro Piscopia made history! She was the first woman to earn a university degree and the very first to get a Doctor of Philosophy degree. Later, she taught mathematics at the University of Padua.

19th Century Breakthroughs

• 1827: The talented French mathematician Sophie Germain had her important theorem published. It was called Germain's Theorem. This theorem helped prove a big math puzzle called Fermat's Last Theorem for a special case.

• 1829: A big step for girls in America! The first public test in geometry for an American girl was held. This showed that girls could excel in math too.

• 1874: The brilliant Russian mathematician Sofya Kovalevskaya became the first woman in modern Europe to earn a doctorate (a very high degree) in mathematics. She got it from the University of Göttingen in Germany.

• 1888: Sofya Kovalevskaya discovered something amazing called the Kovalevskaya top. This was a new way to understand how certain objects spin and move.

• 1889: Sofya Kovalevskaya broke another barrier! She became the first female professor in Northern Europe, teaching at the Stockholm University.

20th Century Achievements

• 1918: German mathematician Emmy Noether published her famous "Noether's Theorem." This theorem is super important in physics and mathematics.

• 1927: American mathematician Anna Johnson Pell Wheeler was the first woman to give a main lecture at the American Mathematical Society Colloquium. This was a big honor!

• 1930: Cecilia Krieger became the first woman to earn a PhD in mathematics in Canada. She achieved this at the University of Toronto.

• 1956: American mathematician Gladys West started collecting data from satellites. Her amazing calculations were a key part of developing the accurate GPS systems we use today!

• 1960 and 1966: Lucy Joan Slater wrote two important books about mathematical functions. These were published by Cambridge University Press, a very well-known academic publisher.

The 1980s

• 1983: Julia Robinson became the first female president of the American Mathematical Society. This was a huge leadership role in the math world.

The 1990s

• 1995: American mathematician Margaret H. Wright became the first female president of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics. This group focuses on how math is used in real-world problems.

• 1998: Melanie Wood became the first American girl to join the U.S. International Mathematical Olympiad Team. She won silver medals in both the 1998 and 1999 competitions!

21st Century Milestones

The 2000s

• 2004: American Alison Miller made history as the first female gold medal winner on the U.S. International Mathematical Olympiad Team. What an achievement!

The 2010s

• 2016: The London Mathematical Society's Women in Mathematics Committee received the Royal Society's first-ever Athena Prize. This award recognized their work in supporting women in math.

• 2019: American mathematician Karen Uhlenbeck became the first woman ever to win the Abel Prize. This is one of the highest honors a mathematician can receive, often called the "Nobel Prize of mathematics."

Related pages

• Timeline of women in mathematics in the United States