12 Little-Known Women's History Month Facts

Aretha Franklin was the first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Women weren’t guaranteed the right to acquire credit cards on their own until 1974.

The first novel in the world was written in c. 1000 CE by Murasaki Shikibu, a Japanese woman.

The first female physician of recorded history was a doctor who lived in Egypt circa 2700 B.C.

Sybil Ludington took the same risks as Paul Revere to warn patriots of a British attack—except her journey was twice as long.

Women weren’t legally guaranteed equal educational opportunities until 1972. Today, more women earn college degrees than men.

Lydia Taft became the first woman to vote in colonial America, 164 years before the Nineteenth Amendment was passed.

Marie Curie is the only person who has ever received two Nobel Prizes in two different science categories.

Wyoming refused to join the United States without a guarantee that women would be allowed to vote.

17-year-old pitcher Jackie Mitchell made baseball history when she struck out Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.

The British suffragettes learned jiu jitsu to defend themselves and evade arrest.

The famous feminist “bra burning” incident never actually happened.