This is a list of American women's firsts, noting the first time that an American woman or women achieved a given historical feat. Inclusion on the list is reserved for achievements by American women that have significant historical impact.
17th century
18th century
- 1700s
- Henrietta Johnston was the first known female portrait painter in the American colonies as well as the first woman pastelist.
- 1739
- Elizabeth Timothy was the first woman to print a formal newspaper as well as the first female franchise holder in the colonies.
- 1750
- Jane Colden was the first woman botanist in America.
- 1756
- Lydia Taft was the first woman known to vote legally in Colonial America after her husband died and son left her; she was granted permission to vote through a Massachusetts town meeting.
- 1762
- Ann Smith Franklin was the first female newspaper editor in America.
- 1776
- Margaret Corbin was the first woman to assume the role of soldier in the American Revolutionary War and receive a pension for it.
- 1784
- Hannah Adams was the first American woman to become a professional writer.
- Hannah Slater was the first American woman granted a patent.
19th century
1800s
- 1808
- Jane Aitken was the first American woman to print the Bible in English.
1810s
1820s
1830s
- 1835
- Harriot Kezia Hunt was one of the first American women to practice medicine professionally, and "clearly the first to achieve a marked success".
1840s
1850s
- 1850
- Harriet Tubman was the first American woman to run an underground railroad to help slaves escape. Some scholars label her the "Queen of the Underground Railroad".
- 1853
- Antoinette Brown Blackwell was the first woman ordained as a minister in America; she was ordained by the Congregational Church.
- 1854
- Amelia Butler was the first known American woman to perform as a clown.
- 1855
- Anne Elizabeth McDowell was the first American woman to publish a newspaper completely run by women; it was circulated weekly and titled, "Women's Advocate".
- Emeline Roberts Jones was the first woman to practice dentistry in the United States. She married the dentist Daniel Jones when she was a teenager, and became his assistant in 1855.
1860s
1870s
1880s
1890s
20th century
1900s
1910s
1920s
1930s
1940s
1950s
- 1950
- On May 12, Emma Bailey held an auction in Brattleboro, Vermont, becoming the first American woman auctioneer.
- 1951
- Maryly Van Leer Peck became Vanderbilt University's first chemical engineer graduate. Peck also became the first woman to receive an M.S. and a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Florida. Later she became the first female member of Tau Beta Pi, the oldest engineering honor society. Peck later became the first woman to be named president of any of Florida's community colleges.
- Paula Ackerman was the first woman in America to perform rabbinical functions.
- Arie Taylor became the first black person to become a U.S. Women's Air Force classroom instructor.
- Helen E. Myers of Lancaster, Pa., a 1941 graduate of Temple University, was commissioned as the U.S. Army Dental Corps' first woman dental officer.
- Lillian Baumbach Jacobs became the first female master plumber in the United States.
- December 16: Anna Der-Vartanian became the U.S. Navy's first female master chief petty officer; this made her the first female master chief in the Navy, as well as the first female E-9 in the entire U.S. Armed Services. She received a personal letter from then-President Dwight D. Eisenhower congratulating her on her accomplishment.
- 1953
- Fae Adams was the first female to receive regular commission as a doctor in the United States Army.
- Oveta Culp Hobby became the first woman to serve as Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare; she served under President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
- Toni Stone, also known by her married name Marcenia Lyle Alberga, was the first of three women to play Negro league baseball, and thus the first woman to play as a regular on an American big-league professional baseball team.
- Ruby Bradley, upon leaving Korea, was given a full-dress honor guard ceremony, the first woman ever to receive a national or international guard salute.
- 1954
- Jewel Prestage, first African-American woman to complete a doctorate in political science in the United States.
- 1955
- Betty Robbins, born in Greece, was the first female cantor (hazzan) in the 5,000-year-old history of Judaism. She was appointed cantor of the reform Temple Avodah in Oceanside, New York, in 1955, when she was 31 and the Temple was without a cantor for the High Holidays.
- Clotilde Dent Bowen became the U.S. Army's first black female physician to attain the rank of colonel.
- 1956
- Tenley Albright was the first woman in America to win the Olympic gold medal in figure skating.
- Vel Phillips became the first woman and the first African-American member of the Common Council in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and given the title "Madam Alderman" by local officials.
- 1957
- Decoy: Police Woman was the first television show to feature a female police officer, and in fact the first built around a female protagonist.
- 1959
- Arlene Pieper became the first woman to officially finish a marathon in the United States when she finished the Pikes Peak Marathon in Manitou Springs, Colorado, in 1959.
1960s
- 1964
- Jerrie Mock was the first woman to fly solo around the world, which she did in a Cessna 180 named the Spirit of Columbus. The trip, which began on March 19, 1964, at the Port Columbus International Airport in Columbus, Ohio, and ended there on April 17, 1964, took 29 1/2 days, 21 stopovers and almost 22,860 miles.
- Carol Doda was the first woman in America to perform as a topless entertainer.
- Isabel Benham was the first female partner in R.W. Pressprich & Co.'s 55-year history, which also made her the first female partner at any Wall Street bond house.
- Alice K. Kurashige became the first Japanese-American woman commissioned in the United States Marine Corps.
- 1965
- Rachel Henderlite was the first woman ordained in the Presbyterian Church in the United States; she was ordained by the Hanover Presbytery in Virginia.
- 1966
- Roberta Louise "Bobbi" Gibb was the first woman to run the entire Boston Marathon.
- Wilma L. Vaught became the first woman to deploy with a Strategic Air Command operational unit.
- 1967
- Victorine du Pont Homsey was the first woman elected as a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects.
- Kathrine Switzer was the first woman to run the Boston Marathon as a numbered entry.
- Muriel Siebert was the first female member of the New York Stock Exchange.
- Tina Turner was the first woman and first African-American woman to appear on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.
- 1969
- Carol Doda was the first woman in America to perform as a bottomless entertainer.
1970s
- 1970
- Diane Crump was the first woman in America to ride in the Kentucky Derby, she placed fifteenth.
- Patricia Palinkas was the first woman to play professionally in an American football game.
- Joyce Nichols was the first woman and first African-American woman to become a physician's assistant (PA).
- 1971
- Vel Phillips became the first woman judge in Milwaukee County and the first African-American judge in Wisconsin.
- 1972
- Alene Duerk becomes the first woman to obtain the rank of rear admiral in the U.S. Navy.
- Anna Mae Hays and Elizabeth P. Hoisington were the first women in the United States promoted to brigadier general.
- Sally Priesand was ordained on June 3, 1972, by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion's president Rabbi Alfred Gottschalk at Plum Street Temple in Cincinnati, making her the first woman ordained as a rabbi in the United States, and only the second woman ever formally ordained in the history of Judaism.
- Katharine Graham was the first female Fortune 500 CEO, as CEO of the Washington Post company.
- Tonie Nathan was the first woman in America to receive an electoral vote for vice president in a presidential election.
- 1973
- Shirley Muldowney was the first woman to receive a NHRA license to drive Top Fuel dragsters, the highest level of the drag racing sport.
- 1974
- Jeannette Piccard was the first female balloon pilot licensed in the United States; she was also the first woman to ascend to the stratosphere.
- Ella T. Grasso was the first woman elected a U.S. governor who was not the wife or widow of a governor. She was elected governor of Connecticut.
- Joan Bernard Armstrong became the first African-American woman and first woman elected judge in Louisiana.
- Sara J. Harper became the first African-American woman and first woman military judge in the history of the Marine Corps Reserve.
- 1975
- Barbara Ostfeld-Horowitz was the first female cantor ordained in Reform Judaism, in 1975.
- Carla Anderson Hills became the first woman to serve as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; she served under President Gerald Ford.
- Alice Rivlin became founder and the first woman to serve as Director of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).
- 1976
- Shirley Black, aka Shirley Temple, was the first woman to be chief of protocol, which she was for President Gerald Ford.
- Lucy Giovinco was the first female in America to win the AMF Bowling World Cup.
- Women first began to attend the U.S. service academies.
- Shirley Muldowney was the first woman to win a NHRA national event.
- Emily Howell Warner was the first woman to become an American airline captain.
- Clara Adams-Ender was the first woman and first African-American woman to graduate from the United States Army Command and General Staff College with a degree in military arts and sciences.
- 1977
- Janet Guthrie was the first woman to compete in the Daytona 500 and the first woman to lead a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race.
- Janet Guthrie was the first woman to compete in the Indianapolis 500, event.
- Shirley Muldowney was the first woman to win a NHRA championship, in the Top Fuel category.
- Barbara McClintock was the first woman to win an unshared Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, and since she was American, she was the first American woman to do so.
- Juanita M. Kreps became the first woman to serve as Secretary of Commerce; she served under President Jimmy Carter.
- Carolyn R. Payton became the first woman and first African American appointed director of the Peace Corps.
- 1978
- January 25 â Muriel Humphrey Brown was the first and only former Second Lady of the United States to serve in the U.S. Congress; she appointed by the state governor to represent Minnesota in the U.S. Senate to succeed her late husband, making her the first woman to hold that office.
- Marcia Frederick, at the age of fifteen, was the first woman in America to win World gold in gymnastics.
- Mary E. Clarke was the first woman to achieve the rank of major general in the United States Army.
- Nancy Teeters became the first woman to serve on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors.
- Ethelene Crockett became the first woman and first African-American woman to serve as president of the American Lung Association
- 1979
- Susan B. Anthony was the first woman in America depicted on a coin (the Susan B. Anthony dollar).
- August 3 â Patricia Roberts Harris became the first woman and first person of color to serve multiple posts in a presidential cabinet; she appointed Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and Secretary of Health and Human Services serving under President Jimmy Carter.
- November 30 â Shirley Hufstedler became the first woman to serve as Secretary of Education; she served under President Jimmy Carter.
1980s
1990s
- 1990
- Jennifer York was the first woman to form a Christian rock band and the first such band that was all-female, Rachel Rachel.
- 1991
- Geraldine Morrow was the first female president of the American Dental Association.
- Minnesota's Supreme Court became the first woman-majority state supreme court that was appointed and sat for a regular session.
- 1992
- Manon Rhéaume was the first woman to play in a National Hockey League game; although she was Canadian, "She played goalie for the Tampa Bay Lightning..."
- Mona Van Duyn was the first woman named US poet laureate.
- 1993
- Hazel R. O'Leary became the first woman to serve as Secretary of Energy; she served under President Bill Clinton.
- Halli Reid was the first woman to swim across Lake Erie, swimming from Long Point, Ontario, to North East, Pennsylvania, in 17 hours.
- Janet Reno became the first woman to serve as Attorney General; she served under President Bill Clinton.
- Sheila Widnall became the first woman ever to serve as leader of a branch of the United States Armed Forces, and as such the first woman to serve as Secretary of the Air Force; she served under President Bill Clinton.
- Vicki Miles-LaGrange was the first African-American woman and first woman U.S. attorney in Oklahoma.
- Condoleezza Rice was the first woman, first African American, and youngest provost in Stanford University's history.
- Carol Mosley Braun became the first woman and first African-American woman U.S. Senator from Illinois, and in addition, became the first African-American woman to serve in the U.S. Senate.
- Sharon Sayles Belton became the first woman and first African American to be elected mayor of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
- Gaynelle Griffin Jones became the first woman (and African American woman) to serve as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Texas.
- Juliann Bluitt Foster became the first woman and first African-American woman President of the American College of Dentists.
- 1994
- Beverly Harvard became first black female police chief of a major city (Atlanta, Georgia) in the United States.
- Judith Rodin was the first permanent female president of an Ivy League University (specifically, the University of Pennsylvania).
- Alice Rivlin became the first woman to serve as Director of the Office of Management and Budget; she served under President Bill Clinton.
- Sharon Caples McDougle became the first African American and first woman crew chief of the NASA Space Shuttle Crew Escape Equipment (CEE) processing department.
- 1995
- Eileen Collins was the female pilot for the Space Shuttle (on STS-63). (see 1999âÂÂfirst female Shuttle commander)
- Roberta Cooper Ramo was the first female President of the American Bar Association.
- Shirley Ann Jackson was the first African American and first woman to serve as chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).
- 1996
- Alice Rivlin became the first woman to serve as Vice Chair of the Federal Reserve.
- 1997
- Madeleine Albright, born in Prague, became the first woman to serve as Secretary of State; she served under President Bill Clinton.
- Liz Heaston was the first woman to play and score in a college football game, kicking two extra points in the 1997 Linfield vs. Willamette football game.
- Nancy Dickey was the first female president of the American Medical Association.
- Hazel J. Harper was the first female president of the National Dental Association.
- Janet Rosenberg Jagan was the first American woman elected as a head of state, head of government, and commander-in-chief of a nation's armed forces, taking the role of the President of the CoâÂÂoperative Republic of Guyana.
- Norma Holloway Johnson was the first woman and first African-American woman to serve as chief judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia
- 1998
- Julie Taymor was the first woman to win a Tony Award for best director of a musical.
- Fannie Gaston-Johansson was the first African American woman tenured full professor at Johns Hopkins University.
- 1999
- Eileen Collins was the first female commander of a Space Shuttle mission (on STS-93). (see 1995âÂÂfirst female Shuttle pilot)
- Carly Fiorina was the first woman to lead a Fortune 50 company (Hewlett-Packard) Carly Fiorina became the first female CEO of a Fortune 20 company.
- Evelyn J. Fields became the first woman and first African American to serve as Director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Corps and NOAA's Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO) as well as the first woman to become a NOAA Corps rear admiral.
21st century
2000s
- 2000
- Spring â Kathleen A. McGrath became the first woman to command a U.S. Navy warship at sea.
- June 1 â Deborah Walsh became the first woman in the U.S. Coast Guard promoted to Chief Warrant officer in Aviation Engineering (AVI).
- July 1 â Regina Mills became the U.S. Navy's first female Aviation Deck LDO.
- July â Lucille "Pam" Thompson became the first African-American woman to serve as a U.S. Coast Guard Special Agent; she served in this capacity until July 2004
- Fall â General Janet E. A. Hicks was promoted to Brigadier General, becoming the first female one-star general who would later be promoted to Major General in 2002, also becoming the first two-star mother and the first female Commanding General of Ft. Gordon in Augusta, Georgia.
- 2001
- January 3 â Hillary Clinton was the first and only former First Lady of the United States to serve in the U.S. Congress; she elected to represent New York in the U.S. Senate, making her the first woman to hold that office.
- January 20 â Ann Veneman became the first woman to serve as Secretary of Agriculture; she served under President George W. Bush.
- January 31 â Gale Norton became the first woman to serve as Secretary of the Interior; she served under President George W. Bush.
- January â Condoleezza Rice was the first African-American woman and first woman National Security Advisor
- Stephanie Ready was the first female coach of a men's professional league team in 2001, as an assistant coach for the now defunct Greenville Groove of the National Basketball Development League (the minor league of the National Basketball Association).
- Margaret C. Wilmoth, United States Army Reserve, was promoted to Brigadier General, becoming the first nurse and first woman to command a medical brigade as a general officer.
- Jeannette South-Paul became the first woman and first African-American woman to serve as a permanent department chair at the University of Pittsburgh (department of family medicine)
- 2002
- January 15 â Nancy Pelosi became the first woman elected House whip, making her the first woman to hold such a position in either chamber of U.S. Congress.
- Melanie Wood was the first American woman and the second woman overall named a Putnam Fellow.
- Shirley Franklin became the first African-American woman and the first woman elected mayor of Atlanta, Georgia and the first African-American woman to be elected mayor of a major Southern city.
- 2003
- January 3 â Nancy Pelosi became the first woman elected House floor leader and minority leader, making her the first woman to lead a major political party in either chamber of U.S. Congress.
- January 8 â Kamala Harris became the first woman elected District Attorney of San Francisco.
- 2005
- Danica Patrick was the first woman to lead the Indianapolis 500.
- Rosa Parks was the first woman and first African-American woman to lie in honor in the U.S. Capitol.
- 2006
- Effa Manley was the first woman inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
- 2007
- January 4 â Nancy Pelosi became the first woman elected to serve as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.
2010s
- 2010
- Nikki Haley was the first female governor of South Carolina and the first person of an ethnic minority to serve as governor of South Carolina.
- Kathryn Bigelow was the first woman to win the Academy Award, the BAFTA Award, and the Critics' Choice Award for Best Director, all for The Hurt Locker (2008).
- Jennifer Gorovitz was the first woman to lead a large Jewish federation in America (specifically, the Jewish Community Federation, based in San Francisco).
- 2011
- Angella Reid was the first female White House Chief Usher.
- Kamala Harris was the first woman Attorney General of California.
- Suzan Johnson Cook was the first African American and the first woman to hold the post of United States Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom in the State Department.
- 2012
- February 2 â Elizabeth MacDonough was the first female appointed as Parliamentarian of the United States Senate.
- Janet Wolfenbarger was the first female four-star general in the U.S. Air Force.
- Katy Perry was the first female artist in history to have five consecutive number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 from one album, thus awarding her with the Billboard Spotlight Award.
- Shannon Eastin was the first woman to officiate a National Football League game in a pre-season matchup between the Green Bay Packers and the San Diego Chargers.
- New Hampshire elects the first all-woman congressional delegation in U.S. history, with U.S. senators Jeanne Shaheen and Kelly Ayotte and U.S. representatives Carol Shea-Porter and Ann McLane Kuster.
- Gabby Douglas became the first U.S. artistic gymnast (male or female) and the first African American to win both the individual all-around gold and the team gold in the same Olympic Games.
- 2013
- Irina Krush was the first female American to hold the title of Grandmaster.
- Danica Patrick was the first woman to win a pole in the Daytona 500 and a NASCAR Cup Series race.
- Danica Patrick was the first woman to lead the Daytona 500.
- Rosie Napravnik rode the filly Unlimited Budget to a 6th place finish in the 2013 Belmont, becoming the first woman to ride all three Triple Crown races in the same year.
- Davie Jane Gilmour was the first woman to lead the Board of Directors for Little League.
- Ashley Freiberg was the first woman to claim an overall GT3 Cup Challenge victory in North America, winning the Porsche IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge.
- UFC 157, which took place in February, featured not only the first women's fight in UFC history but also the first UFC event headlined by two female fighters (Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche).
- Rabbi Deborah Waxman was elected as the President of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. As the President, she is believed to have been the first woman and first lesbian to lead a Jewish congregational union, and the first female rabbi and first lesbian to lead a Jewish seminary; RRC is both a congregational union and a seminary.
- Julia Morgan was the first woman to receive the American Institute of Architects' Gold Medal, which she received posthumously.
- On March 1, 2013, Privateers owner and president Nicole Kirnan served as the team's coach for the first time, making her the first woman to coach a professional hockey team in the United States.
- Erika Schmidt was the first female director of the Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis.
- Mia Hamm was the first woman inducted into the World Football Hall of Fame in Pachuca, Mexico.
- General Motors named Mary Barra as its first female CEO and the first female CEO of a major automaker.
- Deborah Rutter was named as the first female president of the Kennedy Center.
- Jodi Eller was the first woman to complete the 1,515 mile Florida Circumnavigational Saltwater Paddling Trail.
- The American Council of the Blind (ACB) voted unanimously to elect Kim Charlson as its president, making her the first female president of a major national blindness consumer advocacy organization in the United States.
- Lauren Silberman was the first woman to try out at an NFL Regional Scouting Combine, and thus the first woman to try out for the NFL (she tried out as a kicker), but she did not succeed.
- Vanessa O'Brien became the first woman to climb the highest peak on each continent (The Seven Summits) in the shortest period of time (295 days), resulting in a Guinness World Record.
- 2014
- February 3 â Janet Yellen became the first woman to serve as Chair of the Federal Reserve.
- The first women competed in ski jumping at the Olympics, including three American women â Lindsey Van, Jessica Jerome and Sarah Hendrickson.
- Lauryn Williams was the first American woman to win a medal in both the Summer and Winter Olympic games.
- Jennifer Welter was the first woman non-kicker or placekick-holder to play in a men's pro football game; she played running back for the Texas Revolution of the Champions Indoor Football (CIF) league.
- Michelle J. Howard began her assignment as the U.S. Navy's first female and first female African-American four-star admiral on July 1, 2014.
- Michele A. Roberts was elected as the Executive Director of the National Basketball Players Association, thus making her the first woman elected to the highest position of a major U.S. sport's players association.
- During the two-week 2014 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, Natalie Nakase was an assistant coach for the Clippers, becoming the first woman to sit on the bench as an NBA assistant.
- Becky Hammon became the first full-time female coach in the NBA â and the first full-time female coach in any of the four major professional sports in America â as an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs.
- Anne B. France won the inaugural Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR.
- Katie Higgins was the first female pilot to join the Blue Angels, the U.S. Navy's flight demonstration squadron.
- Dr. Connie McCaa became the first American woman and the first Mississippi doctor inducted into the American Academy of Ophthalmology's Hall of Fame.
- Suzy Whaley became the first female officer in the PGA, as PGA secretary.
- Susan Morrison was named as the first female executive pastry chef at the White House.
- Megan Smith was named as the first female Chief Technology Officer of the United States.
- Megan Brennan was named as the first female United States Postmaster General.
- Joanne Berger-Sweeney was the first woman and the first African American to serve as president of Trinity College (Connecticut).
- Chavonda Jacobs-Young became the first African American and first woman to lead the Agricultural Research Service (ARS).
- Mo'ne Davis became the first female pitcher to throw a shutout and earn a win in Little League World Series history.
- 2015
- Jennifer Welter became the first American woman hired to coach in men's pro football when the Texas Revolution of the Champions Indoor Football (CIF) league announced that Welter was hired to coach linebackers and special teams.
- The U.S. Senate confirmed Michelle K. Lee as the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Lee is the first woman and the first person of color to lead the USPTO.
- Yumi Hogan became the first Korean American first lady of a U.S. state and the first Asian-American first lady in the history of Maryland.
- 2016
- Taylor Swift became the first woman to win Album of the Year twice.
- July 26 â Hillary Clinton was formally nominated at the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, becoming the first woman nominated for president by a major U.S. political party.
- Hillary Clinton became the first woman in a United States presidential election and one of the two first women to receive an electoral vote for president.
- Carla Hayden became the first female Librarian of Congress.
- Kellyanne Conway became the first woman to run a successful presidential campaign.
- Faith Spotted Eagle became the first Native American and one of the two first women to receive an electoral vote for president, which she received from a faithless elector.
- General Lori Robinson became the first female officer to command a major Unified Combatant Command in the history of the US Armed Forces.
- Adena Friedman became the first female CEO of NASDAQ.
- Amy Sherald became the first woman and the first African American to win the National Portrait Gallery's Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition.
- 2017
- Peggy Whitson broke the record for most total days spent in space by any NASA astronaut.
- Danica Patrick became the first woman to lead the Coca-Cola 600.
- Vanessa O'Brien became the first woman to summit K2, the second tallest mountain, at 28,251 feet.
- Briana Scurry became the first woman goalkeeper and first African-American woman to be elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
- Shonda Rhimes became the first woman and first African American to create three television dramas that have achieved the 100 episode milestone.
- Dana Canedy became the first woman and first African American administrator of the Pulitzer Prizes.
- 2018
- Oprah Winfrey became the first African American woman to receive the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award
- Gina Haspel became the first woman to be Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
- Stacey Cunningham became the first female President of the New York Stock Exchange.
- Ellie Morrison became the first woman elected National Commissioner of the Boy Scouts of America; likewise, she became the first woman to hold a position in the BSA's "Key Three", consisting of the National Commissioner, the Chief Scout Executive, and the National Chair.
- Carla Provost became the first female chief of the United States Border Patrol on August 9, 2018.
- Deb Haaland of New Mexico and Sharice Davids of Kansas became the first Native American women to be elected to Congress.
- Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota became the first Muslim women to be elected to Congress.
- Martha McSally of Arizona became the first female senator who was appointed to Congress after losing an election to a future Senate colleague, and also the first to serve alongside someone who defeated her in the election prior to inauguration.
- 2019
- January 3 â Nancy Pelosi became the first woman elected to serve as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives for non-consecutive terms.
- Ghazala Hashmi became the first Muslim woman elected to the Senate of Virginia.
- Carolyn Kindle Betz was among the first female-majority owners (i.e. Major League Soccer investors) to be awarded an MLS franchise, eventually named St. Louis City SC.
- Andrea Stewart-Cousins became the first woman and the first African-American woman to lead the New York State Legislative Chamber
- Adrienne A. Jones became the first African American and first woman elected Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates.
2020s
- 2020
- January 26 â Billie Eilish became the first woman to win all four General Field categories in one ceremony at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards
- August 19 â Kamala Harris of California was formally nominated by the 2020 Democratic National Convention as the Democratic candidate for vice president of the United States, becoming the first woman of color, the first African American, the first Asian American, the first person of South Asian descent, the first person of Indian ancestry, and the first person of Jamaican ancestry to be nominated on a major party ticket.
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg became the first woman to lie in repose at the Supreme Court Building on September 23 and, the following day, became the first woman to lie in repose there for a second day.
- On September 25, Ruth Bader Ginsburg lay in state at the Capitol, becoming the first woman to do so.
- November 7 â Kamala Harris became the first woman elected as Vice President of the United States.
- November 28 â Sarah Fuller became the first woman to play in a Power 5 football game.
- December 30 â Becky Hammon became the first female acting head coach in NBA history.
- Erika H. James became the first African-American woman and first woman to be named dean of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
- 2021
- January 20 â Kamala Harris inaugurated as the first woman to serve as Vice President of the United States, making her the most powerful woman in America's political history, first in the line of succession to the US Presidency.
- January 20 â Kamala Harris became the first woman President of the United States Senate in U.S. history.
- January 20 â Jill Biden became the first non-Catholic first lady married to a Catholic president.
- January 21 â Avril Haines became the first woman to serve as Director of National Intelligence; she served under President Joe Biden.
- January 26 â Janet Yellen became the first woman to serve as Secretary of the Treasury; she served under President Joe Biden.
- November 19 â Kamala Harris became the first woman to serve as Acting President of the United States in American history.
- 2022
- Keechant Sewell became the first African-American woman and first woman to be the police commissioner of the New York Police Department.
- Patricia L. Turner was the first African American, and first woman to serve as executive director and chief executive officer of the American College of Surgeons.
- 2024
- March 3âÂÂ5 â Nikki Haley became the first woman to win a Republican presidential nominating contest when she won the District of Columbia primary, and the first to win a Republican state primary when she won Vermont.
- November 6 â Sarah McBride was elected as the first trans woman in the United States House of Representatives and also the first openly transgender member of the United States Congress.
- 2025
- Lisa Blunt Rochester became the first woman and first African American to represent Delaware in both chambers of Congress.
- 2026
- Autumn Durald Arkapaw became the first African-American woman and first woman to win the Academy Award for Best Cinematography (Sinners).
See also
Notes
References
Further reading
External links