National Women's History Month 2010

The Department of Defense (DoD) theme for National Women's History Month this year is "Writing Women Back into History". President Jimmy Carter issued the Presidential Proclamation declaring the week of March 8, 1980 as National Women's History Week, which later led to what we now recognize as National Women's History Month. In that 30-year time span, there has been a remarkable positive change in recognizing the history of women in our schools, communities, and workplace. Even so, there is still plenty of work to be done to continue the struggle to inspire and educate our children and nation about the importance of the historical achievements of women in our country.

Since the founding of the United States of America, women have made many courageous and positive contributions to our national development. The global leadership position we are in today is due in large part to the unselfish support, maternal guidance, and tenacious leadership of women. Take time this month to celebrate the historical significance and contributions of great women of the past and the present. Now is the time to learn more about and demonstrate our appreciation of our sisters, mothers, and daughters for their part in making this nation the great nation that it is today. Participate in any of the many observances in your area recognizing our brave and pioneering women during National Women's History Month.

To learn more about the origins of National Women's History Month, please visit the National Women's History Project homepage at: http://www.nwhp.org

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Famous Firsts by American Women, 1980 - 2010

• 1981 Sandra Day O'Connor - appointed to Supreme Court by President Reagan, making her the first woman justice.
• 1983 Dr. Sally Kristen Ride - first American woman to be sent into space.
• 1984 Geraldine Ferraro - first woman to run for vice-president on a major party ticket.
• 1985 Wilma Mankiller - first woman chief of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma.
• 1989 Ileana Ros-Lehtinen - first Hispanic woman elected to congress. She serves in the U. S. House of Representatives.
• 1990 Dr. Antonia Novello - first woman (and Hispanic) sworn in as U. S. Surgeon General.
• 1991 Sharon Pratt Dixon - first black woman to serve as mayor of a major city (sworn in as mayor of Washington, DC).
• 1992 Carol Moseley-Braun - first African-American woman elected to the U. S. Senate.
• 1992 Mae Jemison - first black female astronaut.
• 1993 Sheila Widnall - first secretary of a branch of the U.S. military (Air Force).
• 1993 Janet Reno - first woman U.S. attorney general.
• 1993 Toni Morrison - first African-American woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature.
• 1997 Madeline Albright - first woman U.S. secretary of state.
• 1998 Lt. Kendra Williams, USN - first U.S. female combat pilot to bomb an enemy target.
• 1999 Lt. Col. Eileen Collins - first woman astronaut to command a space shuttle mission.
• 1999 Nancy Ruth Mace - first female cadet to graduate from the Citadel, the formerly all-male military school in South Carolina.
• 2000 Hillary Clinton - first First Lady ever elected to national office (elected to the U.S. Senate).
• 2005 Condoleezza Rice - first African-American female Secretary of State.
• 2006 Effa Manley - first woman elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. She was co-owner of the Negro League team, the Newark Eagles.
• 2007 Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif) - first woman Speaker of the House of Representatives.
• 2007 Drew Gilpin Faust - first woman president of Harvard University, in its 371-year history.
• 2007 Dr. Peggy Whitson - first woman (American astronaut) to command the International Space Station.
• 2008 Hillary Clinton - first woman in U.S. history to win a presidential primary contest. She won the New Hampshire Democratic presidential primary.