Women's History Month

Susan B. Anthony's birthday

Feb 15, 1820

Susan B. Anthony's birthday

a publicity stunt

Dec 2, 1916

suffragists fly over President Wilson's yacht and drop suffrage amendment petitions.

National Woman's Party

Jan 10, 1917

picketers appear in front of the White House holding aloft two banners: "Mr. President, What Will You Do For Woman Suffrage?" and "How Long Must Women Wait For Liberty?" Sentinels remain stationed there permanently regardless of weather or violent public response, with hourly changes of shift.

Jeannette Rankin

Apr 2, 1917

Jeannette Rankin of Montana is formally seated in the U.S. House of Representatives as the first woman elected to Congress.

Arrests of the National Woman's Party

Jun 22, 1917

picketers begin on charges of obstructing traffic. Their inhumane treatment in jail creates a cadre of martyrs for the suffrage cause.

Carrie Chapman Catt

Mar 24, 1919

: Carrie Chapman Catt proposes the formation of a league of women voters to "finish the fight." The occasion was the 50th Anniversary Jubilee Convention of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, in St. Louis.

woman suffrage amendment

May 21, 1919

The House of Representatives passes the federal woman suffrage amendment, 304 to 89, a margin of 42 votes over the required two-thirds majority.

The Senate passes the 19th Amendment

Jun 4, 1919

with just two votes to spare: 56 to 25. Drafted by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton and first introduced in 1878, it is now sent to the states for ratification.

The League of Women Voters

Feb 14, 1920

The League of Women Voters is founded as "a mighty experiment" at the Victory Convention of the National American Woman Suffrage Association in Chicago, Illinois.

first woman governor

Jan 5, 1925

Nellie Tayloe Ross of Wyoming is inaugurated as the first woman governor in the United States.

Frances Perkins

Mar 4, 1933

Frances Perkins is sworn in as Secretary of Labor, as well as the first woman in the U.S. cabinet.

Babe Didrikson

Mar 6, 1934

Babe Didrikson pitches a full inning for the Philadelphia Athletics (vs. the Brooklyn Dodgers).

Jacqueline Cochran

May 18, 1953

Jacqueline Cochran becomes the first woman to break the sound barrier.

Rosa Park

Dec 1, 1955

Rosa Parks is arrested in Montgomery, Alabama, sparking the American civil rights movement.

Admendment passed

Mar 22, 1972

The Equal Rights Amendment is passed by Congress and sent to the states for ratification.