1849 -Elizabeth Blackwell- became the first woman to achieve a medical degree in the United States. Her acceptance may have been a near accident (the men of Geneva Medical College were asked to vote on her admission and, thinking it was a joke, voted unanimously for her acceptance), but her skill as a doctor and a reformist certainly wasn’t.

1869 -Elizabeth Cady Stanton- co-founded the National Women’s Suffrage Association, which worked for 50 years to give women the right to vote. She may not have lived to see the women’s suffrage act passed, but she is credited with much of its success.

1878 -Susan B. Anthony- introduced the federal women’s suffrage movement to the United States Congress. She was also just a general powerhouse: abolitionist, educational reformer, labor activist and women’s rights campaigners. Ladies, you owe your right to wear pants to her. Be grateful.

1881 -Clara Barton- founded the American Red Cross. This is after revolutionizing medical care in the civil war, traveling the world and earning both the Golden Cross and the Prussian Iron Cross.

1955 -Rosa Parks- Her refusal to give up her bus seat changed the world. Who knew one woman could inspire an entire Civil Rights movement?

1968 -Shirley Chisholm- became the first African American woman to be elected to Congress; not just once but 7 times. As if that weren’t enough, in 1972 she became the first woman to run for the Democratic presidential nomination.

1981 -Sandra Day O’Conner- became the first female justice to sit on the Supreme Court. From a cattle ranch to the highest court in the U.S.; you go cowgirl.

Today -Hilary Clinton- First Lady, first female senator from New York, Secretary of State the only woman to have ever run for public office and advocate for female empowerment everywhere. What have you done today?