A Brief Timeline of International Women’s Day

March 14, 2022

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By: Kaysey A. Richardson

On Tuesday, March 8, we celebrated International Women’s Day (IWD).  While social media has become an outlet to voice this day and make it more celebrated, IWD has been celebrated in one way or another since the early 1900’s when women’s rights were viewed as radical ideology. Below is a brief timeline of how International Women’s Day came to be:

1909: The first National Woman’s Day was observed on February 28, 1909 across the United States, and the tradition continued to be celebrated on the last Sunday of February until 1913.

1910:  The first idea of an official International Women’s Day was suggested by Clara Zetkin of Germany.  A conference of over 100 women from 17 countries welcomed Zetkin’s idea and began to prepare to celebrate the world’s first International Women’s Day.

1911: After the conference’s preparation, the first International Women’s Day celebration came to be and sparked campaigns around the world for women’s rights.  This was the same year as the “Triangle Fire” in New York City which took the lives of more than 140 working women.

1913-1917: Designating an annual day for International Women’s Day became a topic of discussion in the years following 1911, and by 1917, the  official day was established as March 8th.

1975: International Women’s Day was celebrated for the first time by the United Nations.

1996: The first theme for International Women’s Day was announced which was followed by a new theme each year.  The theme for 1996 was “Celebrating the Past, Planning for the Future.” (This year’s theme was #BreakTheBias)

2001: internationalwomensday.com was launched with an aim to re-energizing the day. This website continues to be active and fulfill this mission  through social media and the internet today.  Each year the platform chooses a new “call to action” such as #ChooseToChallenge, #EachForEqual, and #BeBoldForChange.

2011: The 100-year anniversary of International Women’s Day was celebrated with President Barack Obama declaring March as “Women’s History Month” in the United States.

Present Day: The world continues to observe Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day each year, and with the growing help of social media platforms, we are able to have our voices be heard. The history of the United States and the world would not be complete without the women who pioneered so many different aspects.  It is through the celebration of this month and day that we are able to continue to learn, educate, and make changes to the world we live in today.

To learn more about International Women’s Day visit their website: https://www.internationalwomensday.com/

Here are some blogs that we have done in the last six months about some remarkable women throughout history:

Ghosts of Hollywood Past by: Allie Little

Kiddo You can Really Sing by: Allie Little

Emily Dickinson by: Allie Little

Hedy Lemarr by: Kaysey A. Richardson

Lady Bird Johnson by: Kaysey A. Richardson

Ten Female Firsts in History by: Kaysey A. Richardson

Women’s Suffrage Movement in Kansas by: Kaysey A. Richardson