554
Politics
Birth of Empress Suiko
Birth of Princess Nukatabe, later Empress Suiko, Japan’s first historically attested reigning empress.
View detailsThis Day
03January
38 indexed achievements across recorded history.
1793
Science
Birth of Lucretia Coffin Mott
Lucretia Coffin was born on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, into a Quaker whaling family, beginning a life that would shape American abolitionism and women's rights.
View details1866
Activism
Marriage to Henry Villard
Marriage of Fanny Garrison to journalist and future railroad executive Henry Villard in Boston.
View details1886
Literature
Birth of Clara Nordström
Clara Nordström was born on January 3, 1886, in Karlskrona, Sweden.
View details1893
Politics
Sworn in as first woman to serve in statewide elected executive office
Eisenhuth took office as North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction, becoming the first woman to serve in a statewide elected executive office in the U.S.
View details1897
Arts
Birth of Dorothy Arzner
Dorothy Arzner was born on January 3, 1897, in San Francisco, California.
View details1898
Arts
Birth of Carolyn Haywood
Carolyn Haywood was born on January 3, 1898, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
View details1903
Politics
Roosevelt closes Indianola post office
President Roosevelt closed Indianola's post office, refusing to accept Cox's resignation amidst racial conflict.
View details1905
Arts
Birth of Anna May Wong
Anna May Wong was born on January 3, 1905, in Los Angeles, California.
View details1921
Science
First flying lesson
Took her first flying lesson from pioneering instructor Neta Snook at Kinner Field, Los Angeles, in a Curtiss JN-4 'Canuck'.
View details1927
Politics
End of term as governor of Wyoming
Nellie Tayloe Ross’s term as governor of Wyoming ended as she left office on this day.
View details1933
Politics
UPI reports Craig's election as Speaker
UPI reported Craig's historic election as the first woman Speaker in ND.
View details1933
Politics
First woman Speaker of a state House in the U.S.
Craig elected as Speaker of the North Dakota House, first woman in this role.
View details1934
Law
Birth of Carla Anderson Hills
Carla Anderson Hills was born in Los Angeles, California, later becoming a trailblazing lawyer and U.S. government official.
View details1941
1949
Science
Sworn in as U.S. Senator, first woman to serve in both houses of Congress
Smith took the oath as U.S. Senator from Maine, becoming the first woman ever to serve in both the House and Senate.
View details1952
Activism
Death of Harriette Moore from bombing injuries
Harriette Moore died on January 3, 1952, from injuries sustained during the attack on her home, a significant loss for the civil rights movement.
View details1952
Science
Historians and collectors challenge the Betsy Ross stamp's historical claims
A day after the stamp's release, historians and philatelists flooded the Post Office with objections that no evidence proved Ross made the first flag.
View details1962
Arts
Becomes first woman to head a major television studio
Lucille Ball became president of Desilu Productions, making her the first woman to run a major television studio.
View details1966
Science
Joined Bell Labs
Fox joined Bell Labs, where she developed numerical software like the PORT library.
View details1966
Literature
Death of Marguerite Higgins
Higgins died at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., from complications of leishmaniasis contracted in Vietnam, aged 45.
View details1970
1971
Politics
Sworn in as U.S. Representative from New York
Bella Abzug took office in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing New York's 19th district, becoming a leading feminist voice in Congress.
View details1977
Politics
Starts tenure as DNC Committeewoman for the District of Columbia
Sharon Pratt begins service as Democratic National Committeewoman for the District of Columbia.
View details1979
Politics
Sworn in as U.S. Representative
Ferraro began her first term in the U.S. House on January 3, 1979.
View details1980
Science
Death of Joy Adamson in Shaba National Reserve, Kenya
Joy Adamson was murdered near her camp in Shaba National Reserve, Kenya, on 3 January 1980.
View details1987
Arts
First woman inducted into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Aretha Franklin is the first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, breaking a significant barrier.
View details1990
Law
Public implication of Charles Stuart in Carol's murder
On January 3, 1990, Charles Stuart's brother Matthew told police Charles had orchestrated Carol's killing for insurance money, upending the case.
View details1991
Arts
Death of Cipe Pineles
Death of Cipe Pineles, pioneering graphic designer and magazine art director, on January 3, 1991.
View details1998
2001
Politics
Swearing-in as U.S. Senator from New York
Began her first term as a U.S. Senator from New York.
View details2001
Politics
First former First Lady serves in U.S. Congress
Sworn in as U.S. Senator from New York, becoming the first former First Lady to serve in Congress.
View details2007
Politics
First woman elected Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives
Pelosi is elected Speaker of the House, becoming the first woman to hold the office and the highest-ranking woman in U.S. government to that date.
View details2011
Politics
Sworn in as Attorney General of California
Harris was sworn in as California Attorney General, first woman and person of color in the role.
View details2017
Politics
Sworn in as U.S. Senator from California
First Black Senator from California, First South Asian American Woman Senator.
View details2017
Law
First woman ranking member (top Democrat) on Senate Judiciary Committee
Feinstein became the first woman top Democrat on Senate Judiciary in 2017.
View details2017
Science
Death of Mary Lee Berners-Lee
Mary Lee Berners-Lee, pioneering computer programmer and mother of Tim Berners-Lee, died aged 93 in London.
View details2019
Politics
First Speaker in decades to regain the office; returns as Speaker
Pelosi is elected Speaker again, becoming the first person in over six decades to regain the office after losing it.
View details