Why Do We Celebrate Women’s History Month? Women’s History Month is a dedicated month to reflect on the often-overlooked contributions of women to United States history. From Abigail Adams to Susan B. Anthony , Sojourner Truth to Rosa Parks , the timeline of women’s history milestones stretches back to the founding of the United States.
The actual celebration of Women’s History Month grew out of a weeklong celebration of women’s contributions to culture, history and society organized by the school district of Sonoma, California , in 1978. Presentations were given at dozens of schools, hundreds of students participated in a “Real Woman” essay contest and a parade was held in downtown Santa Rosa.
A few years later, the idea had caught on within communities, school districts and organizations across the country. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued the first presidential proclamation declaring the week of March 8 as National Women’s History Week. The U.S. Congress followed suit the next year, passing a resolution establishing a national celebration. Six years later, the National Women’s History Project successfully petitioned Congress to expand the event to the entire month of March.
READ MORE: Women's History Milestones
International Women’s Day International Women’s Day , a global celebration of the economic, political and social achievements of women, took place for the first time on March 8, 1911. Many countries around the world celebrate the holiday with demonstrations, educational initiatives and customs such as presenting women with gifts and flowers.
The United Nations has sponsored International Women’s Day since 1975. When adopting its resolution on the observance of International Women’s Day, the United Nations General Assembly cited the following reasons: “To recognize the fact that securing peace and social progress and the full enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms require the active participation, equality and development of women; and to acknowledge the contribution of women to the strengthening of international peace and security.”
READ MORE: The Surprising History of International Women's Day
Women's History Month Theme 2023 The National Women's History Alliance designates a yearly theme for Women's History Month. The 2023 theme is "Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories." This theme recognizes "women, past and present, who have been active in all forms of media and storytelling including print, radio, TV, stage, screen, blogs, podcasts, news, and social media."
Photo Galleries Ronald Reagan appointed O'Connor as the first female justice of the Supreme Court of the United States in 1981. Madeline Albright became the first female U.S. secretary of state in 1997. Smith was the first woman to be elected to both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. Smith was also the first woman of a major party to be considered for a presidential candidacy. In 2007, Nancy Pelosi became the first female Speaker of the House. Abzug was a women's rights leader and the first Jewish woman to be elected to Congress. Pioneering congresswoman Jordan is best known for her keynote address to the 1976 Democratic National Convention. In 1984, Ferraro became the first woman of a major political party to run for vice president of the United States. Roosevelt, former first lady of the United States, also served as a United Nations delegate and was an outspoken advocate for civil and women's rights. Chisholm was the first African American to be a candidate for a major-party presidential nomination. Harriet Tubman escaped from slavery and went on to become a conductor on the Underground Railroad, helping slaves escape north to freedom. She also served as a spy, nurse and scout during the Civil War. Parks famously sparked the 1955-56 Montgomery Bus Boycott with her refusal to give up her seat to a white man on a public bus. After her death, Parks was the first woman to lay in state at the U.S. Capitol, an honor usually reserved for presidents. Dole was North Carolina's first female senator, as well as serving as secretary of transportation under President Ronald Reagan and secretary of labor under President George Bush. Shriver, sister of John F. Kennedy, was a powerful advocate for children's health and was a founder of the Special Olympics. Former first lady, New York Senator and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, became the first woman to win the presidential nomination of a major party in 2016. In 2021, Kamala Harris became first female vice president, as well as the first Black and South Asian American vice president. The daughter of immigrants—an Indian mother and Jamaican father—she previously served as the first Black female attorney general of California and was the second Black woman to serve in the U.S. Senate. 1 / 15: Wally McNamee/CORBIS
King was a leading tennis player in the 1970s, and gained both additional fame and the admiration of fans for her defeat of Bobby Riggs in the 1973 "Battle of the Sexes" match. Gibson broke tennis' color barrier when she became the first black player to compete at the U.S. Open in 1950. She became the first black player at Wimbledon the following year. She was voted Female Athlete of the Year by the AP in 1957. Jackie Joyner Kersee was the first woman ever to win two consecutive Olympic gold medals in one of sport's most grueling events—the heptathlon. In total she won six Olympic medals, and was voted Sports Illustrated's Women's Greatest Female Athlete of all time. Retton vaulted herself into sports history with her performance at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. She was the first American woman ever to win gold in the all-around event, and won the most medals of any athlete at that year's games. Speed skater Bonnie Blair became the first woman ever to earn five gold medals at the Olympic Games, and until 2010, she was the most decorated American Winter Olympian. Mia Hamm led the U.S. national team to two world championships and two Olympic medals. She retired in 2004. In 2005, Danica Patrick became only the fourth woman ever to compete in the celebrated Indy 500, as well as the only woman ever to lead a lap in the race. In 2002, she won the Indy Japan 300, becoming the first woman ever to win an IndyCar series race Golfer Annika Sorenstam racked up the most wins in LPGA history, and in 2003 became the first woman in 58 years to play a PGA (men's golf) tour event. Sisters Venus and Serena Williams both have held the #1 ranking multiple times, and, combined, they have won 30 Grand Slam titles. Not only did De Varona win two swimming gold medals at the 1964 Olympic Games, she later became the first female sportscaster in TV history. Dorothy Harrell, star shortstop for the Chicago Colleens, was just one of scores of women to play for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, which helped entertain Americans during the dark days of World War II. The league was the inspiration for the hit film "A League of Their Own." A female sports pioneer, Didrikson excelled at multiple sports, including track and field events like hurdles and javelin; golf; and basketball. She won several Olympic medals and 82 golf tournaments, including 21 straight in 1947-48, and was named AP Female Athlete of the Year six times. In 1926, American swimmer Ederle became the first woman to swim the 21 miles across the treacherous waters of the English Channel. An American runner, Stephens won two gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games in Nazi Germany. 1 / 14: Bettmann/CORBIS
Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986) was a central figure in 20th-century American art known for her abstract paintings and representations of natural forms. Kathryn Bigelow is an award-winning film director, best known for her work in "Strange Days" and "The Hurt Locker." Lucille Ball (1911-1989) was a beloved actress and comedian, best known for her role in the TV series "I Love Lucy" from 1951 to 1957. The "First Lady of Song," jazz great Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996) made her singing debut at the Apollo Theater at age 17. She won 13 Grammy Awards during her lifetime. Born in 1954, Oprah Winfrey is an American television host, philanthropist, entrepreneur and media personality. Her self-titled talk show attracts millions of viewers a day. Born in 1949, Meryl Streep is a renowned film actress. She has won three Academy Awards and received 21 nominations as of 2022, more than any other actor. Born Madonna Louise Ciccone in 1958, Madonna is an entertainment icon, regarded as one of the most influential figures in popular culture. Mary Cassatt (1844-1926) was a leading American Impressionist painter who often portrayed the private lives of women in her work. Pearl S. Buck (1892-1973) was an acclaimed American writer and the first American woman to win the Nobel Prize in literature. Born in Alabama, Harper Lee (1926-2016) wrote the best-selling novel "To Kill a Mockingbird," which won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1961. Eudora Welty (1909-2001) was a Pulitzer-Prize winning short story writer and novelist. Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888) was an American writer best known for the classic novel "Little Women." Born in Amherst, Massachusetts, in 1830, Emily Dickinson is regarded as one of the greatest American poets. Most of her work was published after her death in 1886. Marian Anderson (1897-1993) was the first African American singer to perform at the Metropolitan Opera. She famously sang at the Lincoln Memorial at the height of the struggle for civil rights. 1 / 14: Getty Images
A primatologist, Jane Goodall has made a lifelong study of chimpanzees, and has done more than anyone else to spread understanding of their importance to the human race and advocate for their conservation. She is a United Nations Messenger of Peace and a renowned and respected conservationist. Pert is a noted neuroscientist who discovered the opiate receptor in the brain. Mead was one of the world's most accomplished cultural anthropologists, introducing the western world to the ways of live of native cultures in remote areas of the globe. Nightingale is best known for her work ministering to soldiers during the Crimean War as well as her efforts to professionalize nursing and standardize nursing education worldwide. Yalow is a nuclear physicist who spent her life researching hormones. She was awarded the 1977 Nobel Prize for Medicine. Earle is a noted American oceanographer and underwater explorer who has logged thousands of hours underwater and worked to further human understanding of the world's oceans and their importance to the health of the planet. Curie discovered the elements radium and polonium, and coined the term "radioactivity." She won the Nobel Prize in both physics and chemistry. READ MORE: Marie Curie: Facts About the Pioneering Chemist Pictured here with her father Sigmund, Anna Freud was a leading pioneer in the field of psychoanalysis. Cannon was an influential astronomer and the first woman to receive an honorary doctorate from Oxford. Wu was a noted nuclear scientist who worked on the Manhattan Project, the WWII-era initiative that produced the world's first atomic bombs. Blackwell was the first woman physician in the United States. Elion won the 1988 Nobel Prize winner in medicine for her work, along with George Hitchings, in developing drugs to treat leukemia and AIDS. Gery and Carl Cori won the 1947 Nobel Prize for medicine or physiology for their work toward understanding how carbohydrates are metabolized by the body. Mayer and Prof. Hans D. Jenson of the University of Heidelberg in Germany were co-winners of the 1963 Nobel Prize for Physics for their joint discoveries on nuclear shell structure. Apgar was a noted physician who is known for her pioneering work on assessing infant health. 1 / 15: Kennan Ward/CORBIS