Women Who Broke Barriers Every Year Since 1950

Marion Donovan invented the first disposable diaper. She patented it in 1951. Donovan had been rebuffed by companies run by men, so she sold the diapers directly to retailers.

Zany comedian Lucille Ball was a television innovator who broke barriers. Her show featured an inter-ethnic marriage (to Cuba-American singer Desi Arnaz) that was not widely accepted at the time. Ball eventually became the first woman to own a studio.

Ella Baker was a civil rights figure who became the first woman to lead the New York chapter of the NAACP. Baker was also one of the founders of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee.

Jacqueline Cochran became the first woman to break the sound barrier when she piloted an F-86 plane.

Jewel L. Prestage became the first African-American woman to get a doctorate in political science, which she received from the University of Iowa.

Rosa Parks played a key role in the civil rights movement when she refused to give up a seat on a bus to a white person in Montgomery, Alabama. This led to the Montgomery bus boycott and integration of buses.

Autherine Lucy endured physical and verbal abuse to become the first African-American woman to attend the University of Alabama.

Marie Tharp helped create the first map of the floor of the North Atlantic was published in 1957. Because she was a woman, Tharp was not allowed on research vessels, so she worked as a cartographer on land and helped outline the ocean floor by using data collected by her partner, Bruce Heezen.

Mary Winston Jackson was the first African-American female engineer at NASA. She was portrayed by actress Janelle Monáe in the motion picture “Hidden Figures.”

Arlene Pieper ran the Pikes Peak Marathon in 1959, the first woman to complete any marathon in the United States. She ran up and then down the 14,115-foot Colorado mountain.

Wilma Rudolph became the first American woman to win three gold medals in one Olympics. At the Olympic Games in Rome, Rudolph won the 100- and 200-meter sprints, and then anchored the victorious U.S. team in the 4×100-meter relay.

Dana Ulery became the first woman engineer hired at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

Noted biologist and conservationist Rachel Carson alerted the world to the dangers of pesticides with her groundbreaking book “Silent Spring,” which was published in 1962.

Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman to fly in space.

Geraldine Mock was the first woman to fly solo around the world. She joined other aviation pioneers from Ohio such as the Wright Brothers and Neil Armstrong.

Radiologist and explorer Myrtle Simpson became the first woman to ski across Greenland.

Clad in men’s shorts and boys’ running shoes, Bobbi Gibb became the first woman to run the Boston Marathon unofficially.

Kathrine Switzer, a 20-year-old journalism student, became the first woman to officially enter and complete the the Boston Marathon.

New Yorker Shirley Chisholm became the first African-American congresswoman. She represented a part of Brooklyn.

Diane Crump was the first woman allowed to compete as a jockey in the United States. In 1970, she became the first woman to ride at the famous Kentucky Derby.

Billie Jean King became an early outspoken advocate for equal pay for women tennis players and for LGBTQ rights.

Evelyn Berezin invented the word processor. She was also the founder of Redactron Corporation, which became the first company exclusively engaged in manufacturing and selling word processors.

One of the most high-profile feminists, Gloria Steinem co-founded Ms. magazine, the first glossy publication run and owned by women.

Country singer Patsy Cline, who died in a plane crash in 1963, became the first solo woman to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Rosemary Mariner, who was among the first female fliers in the Navy, became the first woman to fly a tactical fighter jet.

Junko Tabei from Japan flouted cultural conventions by leaving her toddler with her husband to become the first woman to summit Mount Everest. She was also the first woman to climb the highest peak on every continent, collectively known as the “Seven Summits.”

Emily Howell Warner became the first female captain of a major U.S. carrier, Frontier Airlines.

Janet Guthrie, a trained physicist and engineer, became the first woman to compete at the Indianapolis 500, the nation’s most prestigious auto racing event.

Mary E. Clarke became the U.S. Army’s first woman two-star general.

Women’s basketball superstar Ann Meyers was the first woman signed to an NBA contract when she signed with the Indiana Pacers. She was cut a week later.

Florida Republican Paula Hawkins became the first woman elected to a full Senate term who had not been preceded by her father or husband. She is still the only female senator from Florida.

Sandra Day O’Connor became the first woman nominated to the Supreme Court and would become the first woman to serve on the nation’s top court.

A woman who helped define 1980s style and attitude, Madonna challenged conventions of what female entertainers should be and became one of the biggest stars of the decade.

Sally Ride became the first American woman in space when she rode the space shuttle Challenger. She is also the first known gay astronaut.

Barbra Streisand, who has been honored with Oscar and Grammy awards, was the first — and so far only — woman to win a Golden Globe for direction.

Law-enforcement trailblazer Penny Harrington became the first female chief of police of a major city. She was chief of police in Portland, Oregon.

Host of one of the most popular TV talk shows ever, and the first African-American woman to become a self-made billionaire, Oprah Winfrey became the first woman to own and produce a television talk show.

The “Queen of Soul,” Aretha Franklin became the first woman artist inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Shawna Robinson, from Des Moines, Iowa, became the first woman to win a NASCAR race, at New Asheville Speedway, in North Carolina.

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida was the first Hispanic woman elected to the U.S. Congress. She represented Florida’s 27th Congressional District.

Sharon Pratt Dixon became the first black woman elected to serve as mayor of a major U.S. city when she was elected to lead Washington, D.C.

The United States won the inaugural FIFA Women’s World Cup that was held in China, accelerating the popularity of the sport in America.

Goaltender Manon Rheaume from Quebec became the first woman to sign a contract with the NHL, by inking a pact with Tampa Bay Lightning. She played in an exhibition game against the St. Louis Blues and stopped seven of nine shots.

Florida-born Janet Reno became the nation’s first female attorney general. She was appointed by President Bill Clinton.

As American women’s soccer grew in force, Mia Hamm became the face of the sport. She was named U.S. Soccer’s Female Athlete of the Year in 1994.

Eileen Collins became the first woman to pilot a NASA space shuttle, and four years later became the first woman to command a space shuttle.

Madeleine Albright, who was born in Czechoslovakia, became the first woman secretary of state, serving President Bill Clinton

Talk show host and comedian Ellen DeGeneres came out in Time magazine with a cover saying, “Yep, I’m Gay.”

J.K. Rowling published her first novel, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” in the United States in 1998. The Harry Potter book franchise became one of the most popular book and movie franchises ever, making Rowling one of the richest women in the U.K.

Carly Fiorina became the first woman to helm a company listed on the Dow Jones Industrial Average when she was named chief executive officer of technology company Hewlett-Packard Company.

Kathleen McGrath became the first woman to command a Navy warship at sea. She commanded the Jarrett, with a crew of 262. The ship went on a mission in the Persian Gulf to interdict oil being smuggled out of Iraq.

Elaine Chao in 2001 became the first Asian-American woman appointed to a presidential cabinet when she was named by President George W. Bush to serve as secretary of labor.

Halle Berry became the first African-American woman to win a Best Actress Oscar for her performance in the movie “Monster’s Ball.”

Teresa Phillips made history when she became the first woman to coach a Division I men’s basketball game as coach at Tennessee State University.

Phylicia Rashad, who gained fame as the TV wife of Bill Cosby on “The Cosby Show,” became the first black woman to win Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play for her performance in “A Raisin in the Sun.”

Condoleezza Rice became first African-American woman secretary of state, serving President George W. Bush. Before that she was national security adviser, the first woman to hold the post.

Indra Nooyi became CEO of PepsiCo, the first woman to lead the soft-drink and snack-food colossus, and shifted the company into more healthful products.

Nancy Pelosi became the first woman elected as speaker of the House of Representatives, the highest political position ever attained by a woman in the United States.

Ann E. Dunwoody became the first female four-star general in the U.S. Army.

Bronx-born Sonia Sotomayor became the first Hispanic Supreme Court justice in American history, replacing Justice David Souter.

Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to win an Oscar for Best Director, winning for the film “The Hurt Locker.”

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee, and Tawakkul Karman shared the Nobel Peace Prize for furthering women’s rights in Liberia. Sirleaf was the first woman elected to lead an African nation.

Shannon Eastin made sports history by becoming the fIrst female NFL referee when she worked as a line judge for the game between the Green Bay Packers and the San Diego Chargers.

Mary Barra broke up the boys club in the automotive industry when she was named CEO of General Motors, the first woman to lead a major American automobile company.

Mo’ne Davis from Philadelphia became the first girl to pitch her team to a victory in the Little League World Series at Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Today, she plays basketball.

Jennifer Welter became the first woman coach in the NFL, when the Arizona Cardinals chose her to work with the team’s linebackers.

Hillary Clinton became the first woman to gain the presidential nomination of a major political party in the United States.

Patty Jenkins became the first female director to helm a full-length super hero action film when she directed the movie “Wonder Woman.”

Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib were the first Muslim women elected to Congress. They were elected to represent congressional districts in Minnesota and Michigan, respectively.

Actress Ali Stroker became the first wheelchair user, man or woman, to win a Tony Award for Featured Actress in a Musical. She won for her performance in “Oklahoma.”