Women's Rights in the U.S.

  • Philadelphia committee led by Benjamin Franklin attempts to regulate waste disposal and water pollution.

  • The Seneca Falls Convention

    The Seneca Falls Convention
    The first women's rights convention. It was advertised itself as "a convention to discuss the social, civil, and religious conditions and rights of women"
  • Henry David Thoreau publishes Walden

  • The term ecology is coined in German as Oekologie by Ernst Heinrich Philipp August Haeckel

  • First Women's Suffrage Law

    First Women's Suffrage Law
    Wyoming is the first place to ever give women the right to vote.
  • The term acid rain is coined by Robert Angus Smith in the book Air and Rain

  • The term smog is coined by Henry Antoine Des Voeux in a London meeting to express concern over air pollution

  • US Congress created the National Park Service

  • Ratification of the 19th Amendment

    Ratification of the 19th Amendment
    The 19th amendment officially grants women the right to vote nationally.
  • First Woman to Fly Solo Across the Atlantic Ocean without Stopping

    First Woman to Fly Solo Across the Atlantic Ocean without Stopping
    Amelia Earhart became the first woman (second person ever) to fly across the entire Atlantic ocean without stopping.
  • FDA approves the First Commercially produced form of Birth Control

    FDA approves the First Commercially produced form of Birth Control
    The Federal Drug Administration approved the production of a birth control pill, allowing women to control when and if they have children.
  • Rachel Carson publishes Silent Spring

  • The Apollo 8 picture of Earthrise

  • First Earth Day – April 22. Millions of people gather in the United States for the first Earth Day. US Environmental Protection Agency established

  • Roe v. Wade

    Roe v. Wade
    The U.S. Supreme Court declares the constitution protects women's right to an abortion.
  • Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer entered into force

  • The Violence Against Women Act

    Bill Clinton signs the Violence Against Women Act as a part of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act. This added funding for programs to help victims of domestic abuse, sexual assault, stalking, and other gender-related violence.
  • The Kyoto Protocol was negotiated in Kyoto, Japan in December. Countries commit to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide

  • U.S. rejects the Kyoto Protocol

  • First Female Speaker of the House

    First Female Speaker of the House
    Nancy Pelosi was the first female Speaker of the House. In 2019, she reclaims the title, and becomes the first person to hold office two times in over 50 years.
  • First Woman to Receive a Presidential Nomination from a Major Political Party

    First Woman to Receive a Presidential Nomination from a Major Political Party
    Hillary Clinton was the woman to receive a presidential nomination from a major political party (Democratic).
  • U.S. announces it will cease participation in the Paris Agreement on climate change mitigation

  • U.S. announces it will rejoin the Paris Agreement on climate change mitigation

  • First Female Vice President

    First Female Vice President
    Kamala Harris is the first woman of color to serve as Vice President of The United States.