May 4th 1979 was a significant moment in history. Not just the history of British politics but also in the history of how women were changing the world.

On this day 37 years ago, Margaret Thatcher became the first ever female Prime Minister of Britain. It was no mean feat for a political system that was rooted in male history – dozens of male Prime Ministers had held the post before Mrs Thatcher was voted in, and so far, no other woman has succeeded in taking up the mantle at Number 10.

Margaret Thatcher was loved and hated, probably in equal measure, across the country and her leadership is still criticised and often condemned. But, regardless of her political failures and successes there’s no denying that she was a force to be reckoned with, and helped to open doors to British politics for a whole generation of women.

So to celebrate the achievements of remarkable women across the world, today we’re celebrating Women’s Firsts – the first time a woman has achieved a historical feat or broken a significant record…..

• In 2010, Kathryn Bigelow became the first ever woman to win an Academy Award for Best Director (for the Hurt Locker).
• Between 1922 and 1937, Canadian explorer Aloha Wanderwell became the first woman to drive around the world!
• Aretha Franklin was the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame  in 1987.
• In 1784, Elisabeth Thible was the first woman to ride in a hot air balloon, but it wasn’t until 1805 that Sophie Blanchard, a French aeronaut, became the first woman to pilot a hot air balloon.
• In 1912, Harriet Quimby was the first woman to fly across the English Channel and in 1915 Marie Marvingt was the first female to fly a plane during a conflict.
• Of course, American aviator Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly across the Atlantic in 1928 and Amy Johnson was the first female to fly between Britain and Australia a couple of years later in 1930.
• In 1903, French scientist Marie Curie became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize in Physics.
• It wasn’t until 1994 that women were ordained as Church of England priests.
• In May 1975, Japanese mountaineer Junko Tabei became the first female to reach the summit of Everest.
• In 1963, Russian Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman to travel to space.
• In 1936, Elizabeth Cowell became the first woman television announcer for the BBC.
• Australian sailor Kay Cottee was the first female to sail single-handed, non-stop circumnavigation of the world in 1988.

Amelia Earhart was an aviation pioneer