15 Pivotal Female Firsts in History

In 1650, nearly 376 years ago, Anne Bradstreet became the first poet published in the American colonies. Writing through bouts of smallpox, the births of her eight children, and even the loss of her home to a fire, Bradstreet was an unstoppable force, clearing a path for centuries of literary canon that followed. 

On June 16, 1963, Soviet Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space, traveling aboard Vostok 6. After 48 orbits totaling 72 hours, she returned to Earth. 

She had spent more time in space during this journey than all U.S. astronauts prior combined.

In 1849, Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman to earn an MD degree. It is said that Blackwell began the pursuit when her friend passed away and insisted she would have received better support from a female doctor. 

Serena Williams retired in August of 2022 after smashing records and making history for three decades.

On August 4th, 2012, she became the first and only professional tennis player of any gender to achieve a Career Golden Slam in both singles and doubles. That means she won each of the four Grand Slam Tournaments, including the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open, as well as an Olympic Gold Medal.

In 1985, Wilma Mankiller made history as the first woman to serve as chief of the Cherokee, the second-largest Indigenous nation in the United States.

Born in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, Mankiller was relocated to San Fransico in 1957 as a result of the federal program to “urbanize” Indigenous Americans. When she returned to her home state in 1974, she made it her mission to improve resources, housing, health care, and education for her Indigenous community.

Over 100 years ago, in 1921, Edith Wharton became the first woman to win the Novel Prize for The Age of Innocence, which follows New York high society in the 1970s. The Prizes had only existed for four years. 

In 2004, Wangari Maathai became the first African woman to win a Nobel Prize, for, according to the committee website, her efforts in “sustainable development[,] [...] democracy, women's rights, and international solidarity.”

She was also the first female scholar in East and Central Africa to earn a doctorate and become a professor in Kenya. 

In 1928, Amelia Earhart made history as the first woman to pilot a plane across the Atlantic Ocean. Later, she was also the first to fly from Hawaii to the U.S. mainland.

In July of 1937, in an effort to fly around the world, she disappeared over the Pacific, never to be found. Her death has remained one of the biggest mysteries of the 20th century. 

Although not the first woman to host her own talk show—that would be Faye Emerson—Oprah Winfrey, in 1988, acquired her hit series, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and became the first to do so. Before ending its 25-year run in 2011, the show was recognized as the highest-rated daytime talk show in American television history. 

In 1967, Kathrine Switzer became the first woman to run the Boston Marathon with a bib number, despite efforts from the race director to keep her from competing. Later, in 1974, she won the New York City Marathon and helped establish a women’s marathon category in the Olympics. 

In 1916, Margaret Sanger, after devoting her life to women’s freedom of choice, opened the first American birth control clinic in Brownsville, Brooklyn. Shortly after, since contraception was banned under the “Comstock Laws,” the clinic was raided and Sanger was arrested.

And yet, she was not deterred. She founded the American Birth Control League in 1921. 

In November of 2020, Kamala Harris accomplished many milestones in American politics—becoming the first woman, the first woman of color, the first Black woman, and the first South Asian woman elected as Vice President of the United States.

On March 7, 2010, Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to win Best Director at the Academy Awards for her film The Hurt Locker. The story follows an American bomb squad that works to disable explosives in Iraq in 2004, starring Jeremy Renner and Anthony Mackie. 

In 1987, Aretha Franklin became the first woman to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Praised by American record producer Clive Davis as “The Queen of Soul, the Queen of Music,” Franklin is best known for her infamous hits “Respect” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.” 

On September 25, 1981, Sandra Day O’Connor was sworn in as the first woman to serve on the United States Supreme Court, after being appointed by President Ronald Reagan. She was often the deciding vote on key issues, including the First Amendment, the Fifth Amendment, abortion, and the 10th Amendment.