Around the world, Women’s Day is celebrated annually on March 8. But what is International Women’s Day, and why do we need it?

“IWD sees a number of missions to help forge a gender-equal world. Celebrating women’s achievements and increasing visibility, while calling out inequality, is key,” says the International Women’s Day website.

According to the UN, 73% of women journalists reported being harassed online for their work, and 44% of artificial intelligence softwares demonstrate gender bias. 

Despite these challenges, women have continued to fight for equality and advocate for social change. In the United States, this fight began with future first lady Abigail Adams’ letter to her husband, John Adams. While they were writing the Declaration of Independence, Adams reminded her husband to “remember the ladies…If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to foment a rebellion.”

After Adams’ letter, progress was slow until the first women’s rights convention in New York in 1848. Arranged by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, the convention sparked activism that led to the signing of the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote. Twenty years later, in 1869, Stanton and Susan. B Anthony founded the National Women’s Suffrage movement. 

In 1916, Margaret Sanger opened the first American birth control clinic in Brooklyn. However, this clinic was illegal under the Comstock Laws and faced significant legal pressure. Although Sanger ultimately closed the clinic in 1919, she founded the American Birth Control League—the precursor to Planned Parenthood—two years later.

In April 1917, Jeneatte Rankin was sworn in as the first woman in the House of Representatives. Rankin arranged groups in rural areas that became the winning margin when the California referendum was passed. “I may be the first woman member of Congress,” Rankin said. “But I won’t be the last.”

Finally, on Aug. 18, 1920, the 19th Amendment was ratified and women were granted the right to vote across the US. Nicknamed the “Susan B. Anthony Amendment,” the amendment declared “the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.”

Women continued to blaze trails in the mid-1900s. In 1932, Amelia Earheart made her historic flight across the Atlantic Ocean becoming the first woman and second pilot ever to fly a nonstop, solo, transatlantic flight. Rosa Parks also helped launch the civil rights movement with her refusal to give up her seat for a white man on a bus in 1955.

The 1960s were a time of great improvements for women’s rights. In May 1960, the Federal Drug Administration approved a birth control pill to promote women’s reproductive health and freedom. Margaret Sanger commissioned “the pill,” as it became popularly known, with funding from heiress Katherine McCormick. President John F. Kennedy also signed the Equal Pay Act in 1963. A year later, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act. Title VII of this act banned employment discrimination based on national origin, race, religion, race, and sex.

The 1970s and 80s were full of progress and women leading the way in society. President Richard Nixon signed Title IX of the Education Amendment in 1972, stating that no person should be discriminated against for their gender in educational activities. Just a year later, the historic Roe v. Wade ruling was made to protect women’s rights to abortion. Nine months later, Billie Jean King defeated Bobby Riggs in “The Battle of the Sexes,” a $100,000 winner takes all exhibition tennis match. The game drew 90 million viewers, and King later said that she “thought it would set us back 50 years” if she didn’t win the game.

The 1980s saw women entering STEM careers and holding governmental positions. Sandra Day O’Connor, the first female Supreme Court Justice, began her 24-year term in 1981 after being sworn in by President Ronald Reagan. Sally Ride took to the skies two years later as the first American woman in space. In 1984, US Representative Geraldine Ferraro was the first woman vice presidential nominee by a major political party.

In 1993, Janet Reno was sworn in as the first female attorney general by President Bill Clinton. The following year, the Violence Against Women Act was signed, funding programs to help victims of domestic violence, rape, and other gender-based violence. Clinton also nominated and swore in Madeleine Albright, the first female US secretary of state in 1997.

In the start of the 21st century, women’s roles have grown in politics. Nancy Pelosi made history as the first female speaker of the House in 2007. In 2013, the US military removed a ban that barred women from holding combat positions. Three years later, Hillary Clinton became the first woman to win a presidential nomination. 

Recently, Kamala Harris became the first woman of color vice president. Before being elected, Harris served as California’s first Black female attorney general. On the historic night of the election, Harris said, “While I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last.”

From Abigail Adams’ letter in 1776 to the women who are blazing trails today, the fight has not stopped. Women have changed the course of history, asking legislators to grant them equality until they became legislators themselves.

It doesn’t end here, because there is still so much to accomplish. The US has not yet seen a female president, and the gender wage gap is still a prevalent issue throughout the country. 

Even if you missed International Women’s Day this year, it is always a good time to appreciate the women in your life. Every one of them is an innovator, an inquirer, a leader, a dreamer, a doer, and above all, a trailblazer.