March is Women’s History Month

Every year in March, we celebrate the many contributions women have made in various fields throughout history. Women have inspired us as scientists, teachers, leaders, artists, and so much more. 

Here are ten historical firsts to inspire you for Women's History Month in March:

  1. American novelist Edith Wharton was the first woman to receive a Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1921
  2. Activist Alice Paul proposed the Equal Rights Amendment for the first time in 1923
  3. Amelia Earhart was the first woman to cross the Atlantic in an airplane in 1928
  4. Katharine Graham became the first woman to become a Fortune 500 CEO in 1972
  5. Janet Guthrie was the first woman to drive in the Indy 500 in 1977
  6. Aretha Franklin became the first woman elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987
  7. Madeleine Albright became the first female Secretary of State in 1997
  8. Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to win an Oscar for Best Director in 2010
  9. Janet Yellen became the first woman to chair the Federal Reserve Board in 2014
  10. Kamala Harris became the first female, first Black, and first South-Asian vice president in U.S. history in 2021

Here are some books about women who were the first to do what they did!

Wings of Gold

Paving the Way

The First Fifteen

Women in White Coats

Trailblazers

The Firsts

Yale Needs Women