5 Women who did something no other woman had done before them

Life is not just about genders any more. It certainly wasn’t so in the past. Whether it was flying planes or going to the war front for news, women have done it and have succeeded… and then others followed. Below is a list of remarkable women who started the ball rolling by doing something no other woman had done before them.

Marie Curie
Photo from Wikipedia

FIRST WOMAN TO WIN THE NOBLE PRIZE: Marie Curie (Polish, French)

Marie Sklodowska Curie was born in Warsaw, Poland, in 1867, and became famous for her pioneering research on radioactivity which began in her 20s and continued all through her life. She and her husband, Pierre Curie, won the Noble Prize for Physics in 1903, together with another physicist, Heni Becquerel. In 1911, she won the Noble Prize in Chemistry, alone, making her the one and only woman to win the prize twice. She died in 1934 of complications brought by her years of exposure to radiation.

Amelia Earheart
Photo from Wikipedia

FIRST WOMAN TO FLY SOLO ACROSS THE ATLANTIC: Amelia Mary Earhart (American)

Amelia Mary Earhart was an American aviation pioneer and author - the first female pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, a feat that won her an award in the US and the admiration of many people around the world. She became a bestselling author when she wrote about her flying experiences. She was born in 1897 and disappeared over the Pacific Ocean in 1937 when she tried to make a flight around the globe at the age of 30.

Junko Tabei
Photo from Wikipedia

FIRST WOMAN TO REACH THE SUMMIT OF MOUNT EVEREST: Junko Tabei (Japanese)

Born in 1939, Junko Tabei is a Japanese mountain-climber who, at the age of 36 became the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest. In 1975, responding to a challenge by the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri and Nihon Television, Junko Tabei, along with 15 other women, took the expedition to climb the mountain after a long period of training. Although an avalanche struck their camp at 6,300 metres and buried the women, Junko was able to reach the top 12 days later. She climbed many other mountains thereafter.

Vijaya Lakshmi
Photo from Wikipedia

FIRST WOMAN PRESIDENT OF THE UN GEN ASSEMBLY: Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit (India)

Born in 1900 to a prominent family in India (she was the sister of Jawaharlal Nehru), Vijaya Lakshmit Pandit was the first Indian woman to hold a Cabinet post in India. Following India's independence from the British in 1947 she entered the diplomatic service and became India's ambassador to the Soviet Union, United States and Mexico, then to Ireland and UK. In 1953, she became the first woman President of the United Nations General Assembly.

FIRST WOMAN WAR CORRESPONDENT: Louise Mack (Australian)

Marie Louise Hamilton was an Australian poet, journalist and novelist who, in 1914, became the first woman war correspondent when she began writing articles about her eye-witness account of the German invasion of Antwerp, which were published in the Evening News and the Daily Mail. Her book about her war adventures—A Woman's Experiences in the Great War—was published in 1915. Born in 1870, she led an active life, speaking about her war experiences and producing many books before she died in 1935.

SPECIAL MENTION: Chioma Ajunwa – first Nigerian to win an Olympic gold medal

Chioma Ajunwa
Photo from nairaland.com

Banned from sports (athletics) after failing a drug test in 1992, and eventually cleared after four years, Nigeria’s Olympic golden girl, Chioma Ajunwa, made history in the country when she bagged the gold medal (the first Nigerian to do so) in the women’s long jump event at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. She was at the time an officer with the Nigerian Police Force. For her record-breaking feat, she was conferred many awards and citations including the Member of the Order of Niger award. After winning the medal, Ajunwa embarked on a series of talks where she preached against the use of illicit drugs among athletes in Nigeria.