“When women and girls rise, their communities and countries rise with them”- Michelle Obama
Beginning before the U. S. Civil War and officially in 1848 at the Seneca Falls Convention, women and some men have been fighting for Women’s Rights. However, many women were able to persist, prevail and rise above societal views, blazing a path for women and equality for all. Ten trailblazers who made American and World history by ignoring the heteronormative views of their time include:
1. Margaret Brent- English immigrant and FIRST female to demand a Vote in the American colonies in 1648
2. Elizabeth Blackwell- First female doctor in the U. S. in 1849
3. Sarah Breedlove- African American entrepreneur and FIRST self-made female Millionaire (early 1900’s)
4. Alaska P. Davidson- the FIRST female FBI Special Agent- appointed in1922
5. Marie Curie- Polish-French physicist, chemist, and FIRST female
to earn a Nobel Peace Prize in 1903 the first person and ONLY female to win twice and the only person to win twice in multiple sciences
6. Diane Crump- the FIRST female Kentucky Derby Jockey in 1970
7. Sandra Day O’Connor- the FIRST female U.S. Supreme Court Justice appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1981
8. Aretha Franklin- Revered as “The Queen of Soul”, Franklin was the FIRST female Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee in 1987
9. Benazir Bhutto- the FIRST female head of a Muslim Nation, elected in 1988
10. Mo’Ne Davis- the FIRST female to pitch a Little League World Series shutout in 2014
And one more for good measure…
11. Stacy Cunningham- The FIRST female to become president of the New York Stock Exchange on May 22, 2018
To be continued…
To learn more about Women’s Firsts visit:
https://www.historynet.com/seneca-falls-convention
https://www.ranker.com/list/female-firsts/amylindorff
http://mentalfloss.com/article/92780/25-trailblazing-female-firsts
http://time.com/collection/firsts/
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