Important dates in women's rights history

  • Environmental movement

    Philadelphia committee led by Benjamin Franklin attempts to regulate waste disposal and water pollution.
  • “Ain’t I a Woman” speech

    “Ain’t I a Woman” speech
    After gaining her freedom from slavery in 1827, Sojourner Truth became a well known anti-slavery speaker. Her speech during the historic Ohio Women’s Rights Convention left a historic impact towards equal rights in the U.S.
  • Environmental movement

    Henry David Thoreau publishes Walden
  • Environmental movement

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

    National Woman Suffrage Association
    Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony formed the National Woman Suffrage Association and gained priority to securing women the right to vote.
  • Environmental movement

    The term acid rain is coined by Robert Angus Smith in the book Air and Rain
  • Environmental movement

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

    Women's Suffrage Parade
    Thousands of women gathered in Washington, D.C. to call for a constitutional amendment guaranteeing women the right to vote. This was marked as the first major national event for this movement. Their experiences led to major news stories and even congressional hearings.
  • Environmental movement

    US Congress created the National Park Service
  • Women win the right to vote

    Women win the right to vote
    Passed by Congress June 4, 1919, but ratified on August 18, 1920, the 19th amendment granted women the right to vote
  • Environmental movement

    Rachel Carson publishes Silent Spring
  • Equal pay act

    Equal pay act
    President JFK faced the issues that still concerned the status of women such as discrimination and the fact that employers were legally able to pay women less than men for doing the same job. The Equal Pay Act aimed to abolish the wage discrimination against women.
  • Environmental movement

    The Apollo 8 picture of Earthrise
  • Environmental movement

    Millions of people gather in the United States for the first Earth Day. US Environmental Protection Agency established
  • Gloria Steinem starts Ms. magazine

    Gloria Steinem starts Ms. magazine
    It was the first magazine to honestly address and open up discussions revolving around women’s issues. It became the first issue to feature the matter of domestic violence on its cover in 1976
  • Susan B. Anthony

    Susan B. Anthony
    Susan B. Anthony became the first woman to be featured on a circulating coin from the U.S. mint.
  • First woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court

    First woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court
    Sandra Day O’Connor is nominated by President Ronald Reagan to the Supreme Court. O’ Connor was sworn in as the 102nd justice, making her the first woman justice in Supreme Court history.
  • First American woman in space

    First American woman in space
    Mission Specialist Sally Ride launched into space on the shuttle Challenger along with the rest of the NASA crew from Kennedy Space Center. Ride was the first American woman to be launched into space.
  • Environmental movement

    Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer entered into force
  • Environmental movement

    The Kyoto Protocol was negotiated in Kyoto, Japan in December. Countries commit to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide
  • Environmental movement

    U.S. rejects the Kyoto Protocol
  • First African American woman to win the Oscar for Best Actress

    First African American woman to win the Oscar for Best Actress
    In her acceptance speech, Berry continued to address how the award and honor went beyond her. Even now, she remains the only black woman to receive that same award.
  • Environmental movement

    U.S. announces it will cease participation in the Paris Agreement on climate change mitigation
  • Environmental movement

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