1141
Science
First depiction of female royal power on an English seal
Matilda's royal seal, showing her enthroned as Empress, became the first English royal seal to depict female power in this iconographic form.
View detailsThis Day
01July
89 indexed achievements across recorded history.
1429
Science
Composition of Le Ditié de Jehanne d'Arc
In July 1429, Christine wrote the only known contemporary literary work celebrating Joan of Arc, hailing her as a divinely inspired national heroine.
View details1744
Science
Burial of Catherine Jérémie in Montreal
Catherine Jérémie was buried in Montreal, New France, on 1 July 1744, closing a long life as a pioneering midwife and botanist.
View details1782
Literature
Publication of 'Cecilia'
Burney's second major novel, 'Cecilia, or Memoirs of an Heiress,' was published in five volumes, further cementing her literary reputation.
View details1786
Literature
Appointed Second Keeper of the Robes to Queen Charlotte
Burney entered royal service at the court of George III, appointed second Keeper of the Robes to Queen Charlotte, a post she held until 1791.
View details1796
Literature
Publication of 'Camilla' and Major Payment
Burney's novel 'Camilla, or A Picture of Youth' was published, earning her the substantial sum of £1,000, reflecting her commercial success.
View details1819
Activism
Death of Jemima Wilkinson
Jemima Wilkinson died on July 1, 1819, marking the end of her religious leadership.
View details1857
Literature
Publication of first Black woman's autobiography in Britain
Mary Seacole published her autobiography, a pioneering first in Britain, in July 1857.
View details1866
Science
First woman to present a scientific paper to a state dental society
In July 1866, Lucy Hobbs delivered her paper 'The Use of the Mallet' to the Iowa State Dental Society, the first time a woman addressed such a body with original research.
View details1866
Activism
Arrest in New York City over dress reform activism
Walker was arrested in NYC for her dress reform activism, highlighting her defiance of societal norms.
View details1866
Science
Elected member of Iowa and Illinois State Dental Societies
By mid-1866, following her DDS and Iowa address, Lucy Hobbs was elected to membership in both the Iowa and Illinois State Dental Societies.
View details1871
Medicine
Graduation and bronze medal at École de Médecine
Graduated and awarded a bronze medal from École de Médecine.
View details1873
Arts
Birth of Alice Guy-Blaché
Alice Guy-Blaché was born on July 1, 1873, in Saint-Mandé, France.
View details1873
Science
Canby's Betsy Ross narrative published in Harper's New Monthly Magazine
William Canby's account of Betsy Ross sewing the first American flag appeared in Harper's Monthly, spreading the legend nationwide.
View details1877
Science
Birth of Benjamin O. Davis Sr.
Benjamin Oliver Davis Sr. was born in Washington, D.C., later becoming a pioneering African American career officer in the U.S. Army.
View details1881
Activism
First woman to head a state institution in Michigan
Appointed first superintendent of Michigan's Girls Training School at Adrian, becoming the first woman to head a state institution in Michigan.
View details1885
Literature
Birth of Dorothea Mackellar
Dorothea Mackellar was born on July 1, 1885, in Point Piper, Sydney, Australia.
View details1887
Literature
Birth of Amber Reeves
Amber Reeves was born on July 1, 1887 in Wellington, New Zealand.
View details1887
Science
First psychological research publication by an American woman
Ladd-Franklin's paper on horopters became the first piece of psychological research published by an American woman.
View details1890
Science
Massachusetts water survey and first state water standards
Completes Massachusetts water-quality survey and produces the “Normal Chlorine Map,” leading to the first state water standards.
View details1896
Science
First woman geologist hired by the U.S. Geological Survey
In mid-1896, Bascom was appointed assistant geologist with the USGS, becoming the first woman geologist ever hired by that agency.
View details1896
Literature
Death of Harriet Beecher Stowe
Death of Harriet Beecher Stowe in Hartford, Connecticut, after a long literary and reform career.
View details1903
1906
Politics
Completion of "The Mass Strike, the Political Party and the Trade Unions"
Luxemburg completed her key work on the mass strike by July 1, 1906.
View details1906
Arts
Birth of Estée Lauder
Estée Lauder was born Josephine Esther Mentzer on July 1, 1906, in Queens, New York.
View details1907
Literature
Publication of 'Rockefeller: A Character Sketch'
Tarbell published a pointed character study of John D. Rockefeller, extending her scrutiny of industrial power beyond the Standard Oil series.
View details1910
Exploration
Cross-country automobile drive completed
Scott completes her New York–San Francisco Overland car journey, an early coast-to-coast drive by a woman.
View details1912
Aviation
Death in aviation accident at the Boston Aviation Meet
Quimby and passenger William Willard are killed when her Blériot monoplane pitches them into Dorchester Bay during the Boston Aviation Meet.
View details1917
Politics
Formation of the Women's Battalion of Death
Bochkareva formed the first women's battalion in July 1917, a genuine first in Russia.
View details1924
Science
Leads Dominion Rust Research Laboratory
Appointed lead researcher of Canada’s new Dominion Rust Research Laboratory in Winnipeg, heading national wheat rust research.
View details1928
Science
First botanist to collect in Denali
Mexia becomes the first botanist to collect plant specimens in Denali National Park.
View details1928
Science
Third woman to achieve first-class honours in chemistry at Oxford
Hodgkin graduated from Oxford with first-class honours in chemistry, only the third woman to do so.
View details1928
Activism
First place in ENS entrance examination
Simone Weil ranks first in the July 1928 entrance examination to the École Normale Supérieure, ahead of Simone de Beauvoir, in one of the earliest cohorts of women admitted.
View details1931
Politics
Death of Alice Mary Robertson
Alice Mary Robertson died on July 1, 1931, in Muskogee, Oklahoma.
View details1935
Science
Lunar Crater Hypatia Officially Named
The International Astronomical Union officially named a lunar crater 'Hypatia' in July 1935, commemorating her on the Moon's surface.
View details1941
Literature
Publication of first book "Under the Sea Wind"
Carson's first book, "Under the Sea Wind," was published, establishing her reputation as a nature writer.
View details1942
Science
Begins work as a human 'computer' at the Moore School of Engineering
Kay McNulty began work as a human computer at the University of Pennsylvania's Moore School, calculating ballistics trajectories for the U.S. Army.
View details1948
Science
Hospitalization at Doctors Hospital, New York
Force was hospitalized for cancer at Doctors Hospital in Manhattan, marking the end of her active museum leadership.
View details1949
Science
Appointed Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress
Bishop began her term as Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress, the precursor role to U.S. Poet Laureate.
View details1954
Science
Death in West Berlin
Thea von Harbou died on July 1, 1954, in West Berlin, after being struck by a car; she was 65 years old.
View details1956
Science
First woman promoted to full professor at Harvard
First woman promoted to full professor in Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
View details1957
Sports
Official recognition of 1939 high jump world record
1987: Tyler's 1939 jump officially recognized as a world record.
View details1958
Sports
Birth of Nancy Lieberman
Born in Brooklyn, New York, a future Hall of Famer and trailblazer in women’s and men’s professional basketball.
View details1961
1962
Science
Principal author of the first LISP manual
Fox authored the first LISP manual, a significant milestone in programming language documentation.
View details1962
Science
Sophia Loren's landmark Vogue cover
The July 1962 American Vogue issue under Vreeland features Sophia Loren, later described as the first celebrity cover of any major fashion magazine.
View details1964
Science
First fashion-magazine photograph of Mick Jagger
Harper's Bazaar's July 1964 issue publishes what is later noted as the first fashion-magazine photograph of Mick Jagger, championed by Vreeland.
View details1965
Arts
First Cosmopolitan issue under her editorship sells out
Helen's first Cosmopolitan issue sold out completely.
View details1965
Arts
Appointed editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan
Helen became editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan in July 1965.
View details1968
Science
Awarded ASME Gilbreth Medal at Gilbreth Centennial
Honored with the ASME Gilbreth Medal during centennial celebration.
View details1968
Activism
First woman Class Day speaker at Harvard University
Coretta Scott King becomes the first woman to deliver the Class Day address at Harvard University.
View details1969
Science
Completes the structure of insulin
After 35 years of research, Hodgkin and collaborators completed the full three-dimensional structure of insulin.
View details1970
Sports
First distance race and women's record in Lake Ontario
Nyad swam her first long-distance race, a 10-mile event in Lake Ontario, setting a women's record.
View details1971
Arts
Santa Fe Opera Countess Almaviva performance
Santa Fe Opera appearance as the Countess in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, her first major American engagement.
View details1971
Sports
FA lifts its ban on women's football
Parr lived to see the Football Association lift its 1921 ban on women's football, vindicating her decades of defiant participation in the sport.
View details1972
Politics
First female CEO of Fortune 500 company
First female CEO of a Fortune 500 company as CEO of The Washington Post Company.
View details1972
Science
Founding of the Plasmid Reference Center at Stanford
Esther Lederberg founded the Plasmid Reference Center at Stanford University.
View details1972
Literature
First independent issue of Ms. magazine hits newsstands
The debut independent issue of Ms. magazine sells out its roughly 300,000 print run within days.
View details1974
Arts
Release of debut single 'Hey Joe' / 'Piss Factory'
Released debut single 'Hey Joe' / 'Piss Factory' on July 1, 1974.
View details1974
Science
Becomes first woman President of Argentina and Latin America
Upon Juan Perón's death, Isabel Perón assumed full presidential powers, becoming Argentina's and Latin America's first woman president.
View details1974
Science
Assumes leadership of the Justicialist Party
Isabel Perón became president of the Justicialist (Peronist) Party while serving as national president of Argentina.
View details1974
Activism
Testimony before the Atomic Energy Commission
Summer 1974: Karen Silkwood testifies before the Atomic Energy Commission on safety violations and contamination at Kerr-McGee.
View details1975
Politics
Launch of the Twenty Point Programme
Gandhi launched the Twenty Point Programme for reforms.
View details1976
Politics
First Female U.S. Chief of Protocol
Shirley Temple Black became first female U.S. Chief of Protocol.
View details1977
Activism
First woman president of Presbyterian Council on Church Union
Becomes the first woman president of the Presbyterian Council on Church Union, serving from 1977 to 1982.
View details1979
Aviation
Sets unofficial American women's aviation altitude record
During astronaut training, Sullivan reached 63,000 feet in a NASA WB-57F, an unofficial sustained U.S. women's altitude record.
View details1985
Activism
Death of Pauli Murray
Pauli Murray died of cancer on July 1, 1985, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at age 74.
View details1985
Arts
'Freeway of Love' returns her to the U.S. Top 10
'Freeway of Love' becomes her first U.S. Top 10 hit in over a decade, marking a commercial comeback.
View details1985
Law
First woman Treasurer of any Inn of Court
Heilbron was appointed Treasurer of Gray’s Inn, the first woman to hold such an office in any of the Inns of Court.
View details1985
Aviation
First woman to command a unit receiving the Joint Meritorious Unit Award
Wilma Vaught became the first woman to command a unit that received the Joint Meritorious Unit Award.
View details1988
Science
Cell paper establishes Bicoid as the first known morphogen
With Wolfgang Driever, published in Cell that Bicoid protein determines embryonic position in a concentration-dependent manner — the first morphogen shown experimentally.
View details1991
Sports
Honored by National Baseball Hall of Fame for Negro Leagues contributions
In 1991, Toni Stone was honored by the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
View details1992
Activism
First Woman Chair of Case Western Reserve University Board of Trustees
Karen N. Horn became the first woman chair of the Case Western Reserve University Board of Trustees, serving from 1992 to 1995.
View details1992
Politics
Granted the title 'Right Honourable'
On July 1, 1992, Queen Elizabeth II granted Ellen Fairclough the honorific title 'Right Honourable' in recognition of her lifetime of public service.
View details1993
Activism
USPS issues Mary Lyon commemorative stamp
USPS issued a Mary Lyon stamp in July 1993, honoring her leadership in women's education.
View details1994
Science
First woman to play in Roller Hockey International
Rhéaume became the first woman to play in a Roller Hockey International game, suiting up for the New Jersey Rockin' Rollers.
View details1994
Science
Assumes Office as President of the University of Pennsylvania
Rodin took office as Penn's president, becoming the first permanent female president of an Ivy League institution.
View details1997
Arts
Joins original class of Victoria’s Secret Angels and wears Diamond Dream Fantasy Bra
Joined Victoria's Secret Angels, wore Diamond Dream Fantasy Bra.
View details1999
Activism
Arrest and solitary confinement for human-rights activism
Ebadi was arrested and spent 25 days in solitary confinement due to her legal and human-rights work.
View details1999
Science
First woman and first African American President of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Became the first female and African American president of RPI.
View details1999
Science
Becomes president of RPI
Shirley Ann Jackson becomes first woman and first African American president of RPI.
View details2004
Science
Posthumous Induction into U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame
Griffith Joyner was posthumously inducted into the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame, honoring her as one of America's greatest Olympians.
View details2014
Aviation
Joins Blue Angels as first female pilot
Katie joins Blue Angels as the first female pilot.
View details2014
Aviation
First woman and first African American Vice Chief of Naval Operations
Howard became the first woman and African American to be the Vice Chief of Naval Operations.
View details2014
Aviation
First woman four-star admiral in U.S. Navy
On July 1, 2014, Howard became the first woman four-star admiral in the U.S. Navy.
View details2015
Arts
First artist with two one-billion-view Vevo videos
Perry became the first artist to have two music videos surpass one billion views on Vevo.
View details2015
Science
Retires from the U.S. Air Force after 35+ years of service
General Wolfenbarger retired from the U.S. Air Force, concluding her tenure as AFMC commander after more than 35 years of service.
View details2018
Science
Pluto mountain range named for Jeanne Baret
In 2018, the International Astronomical Union named a mountain range on Pluto, Baret Montes, after Jeanne Baret.
View details2022
Activism
Helene D. Gayle begins presidency of Spelman College
On July 1, 2022, Helene D. Gayle begins her tenure as Spelman College’s 11th president.
View details