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Figure Skating
Since there was no women’s competition, figure skater Madge Syers of Britain enters the men’s world championship and places 2nd -
Bowling
St. Louis, Missouri becomes the home of the 1st organized women’s bowling league -
Swimming
The American Athletic Union (AAU) allows women to register for the national swimming championships -
Track & Field
The AAU opens track and field events to women -
Figure Skating
Figure skating is the only sport open to women at the 1st Winter Olympic Games -
Baseball
Virne Mitchell, pitcher, becomes the 1st woman in professional baseball. However baseball commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis bans women from the sport later that year. -
Baseball
The All-American Girls’ Baseball League was formed to fill ballparks emptied by baseball players going to war -
Baseball
12-year-old Kathryn Johnson becomes 1st girl to play Little League Baseball -
Equestrian events
Women and men compete together in Olympic equestrian events -
Tennis
Maureen Connolly becomes the first woman to win all four major tennis championships -
Track & Field
Wilma Rudolph is the 1st woman to win three Olympic gold medals in track and field at one Olympic Games -
Marathon Running
Roberta Gibb becomes the 1st woman to run and finish the Boston Marathon. It’s unofficial since women weren’t officially entered until 1972. -
Riding
Diane Crump becomes the 1st woman to ride in the Kentucky Derby -
Basketball
Women get the official nod to play 5-player, full-court basketball -
Financial Aid
The U.S. Congress passes Title IX to foster more equitable federal financial aid to women’s sports programs -
Tennis
Billie Jean King defeats Bobby Riggs in the “Battle of the Sexes” tennis match -
Football
The National Women’s Football League is formed, the 1st professional tackle league for women -
Racing
Janet Guthrie is the 1st woman to race in the Indianapolis 500 -
Golf
Kathy Whitworth is inducted into the Golf Hall of Fame with 88 victories – more than any other player in the PGA -
Skiing
Tamara McKinney becomes the 1st American female skier to win the Alpine World Cup overall championship -
Basketball
Nancy Lieberman becomes the 1st woman to play in a professional men’s basketball league -
Sports Illustrated
Jackie Joyner-Kersee is the 1st woman athlete on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine -
Soccer
The U.S. soccer teams win the 1st Women’s World Cup -
Soap Box Derby
Girls win all 3 division titles in the All-American Soap Box Derby -
Racing
Julie Krone wins the Belmont Stakes and becomes the 1st woman jockey to win a Triple Crown race -
Skiing
Picabo Street is the 1st American woman to win the World Cup title for downhill skiing -
Basketball
The Women’s National Basketball Association has its 1st season -
Fishing
Wanda Rucker is the 1st woman to win a men’s bass fishing tournament -
Bobsledding
Americans Jill Bakken and Bonetta Flowers win the 1st women’s Olympic gold medal in bobsledding -
Golf
Annika Sorenstam becomes the 1st woman to play in a PGA tournament in 58 years -
Baseball
Effa Manlet is the 1st woman elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame -
Tennis
The Wimbledon tennis tournament announces that it will pay women and men equal prize money for the 1st time -
Basketball
Pat Summit of the University of Tennessee collects more wins throughout her career than any other men’s or women’s college basketball coach