2008 Firsts for Women from WowOwow

2008 was a great year for women! WowOwow.com (The Women on the Web) is celebrating those women’s achievements that were “firsts” in the past twelve months. 2008 was more than just the year of 18 million cracks in the glass ceiling: women smashed gender barriers in politics, science, sports, and elsewhere. Read about some of these remarkable women here.

Brittany Cantazaro, Brittany Cantazaro ferry captain, ferry captain Brittany Cantazaro

Bebeto Matthews/AP
Ferry boats surround a US Airways aircraft that has gone down in the Hudson River in New York,
Thursday Jan. 15, 2009. (AP)

Brittany Catanzaro, First Female Ferry Captain for New York Waterway and Hero to US Airways Flight 1549

January 16, 2009

by Sarah Amandolare

Brittany Cantazaro is NY Waterway’s first female ferry captain and helped rescue passengers on the US Airways flight that crashed in the Hudson River.

Pamela Jelimo, First Kenyan Woman to Win an Olympic Gold Medal
January 01, 2009 08:15 AM
Pamela Jelimo became the first Kenyan woman to win an Olympic track and field gold medal with her 800-meter win (in the time of 1:54.87) in Beijing.
Danica Patrick, First Woman to Win a Major Closed-Course Auto Race
December 31, 2008 09:45 AM
Driving for the team Andretti Green Racing in Motegi, Japan, Danica Patrick became the first woman to win on the IndyCar circuit.
Sarah Palin, First Woman to Be the Republican Candidate for Vice President
December 31, 2008 08:15 AM
In 2008, Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska became the first Republican woman in U.S. history to be nominated for vice president.
Fahmida Mirza, First Woman to Serve as Speaker of Pakistan’s National Assembly
December 30, 2008 09:45 AM
In March 2008, Fahmida Mirza became the first female National Assembly speaker in Pakistan’s 60-year history with the support of the Pakistan Peoples Party, the party of assassinated former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.
Ann Dunwoody, First Woman to Become a Four-Star General in the US Armed Forces
December 30, 2008 08:15 AM
In November 2008, Ann Dunwoody became the first female four-star general in the United States military. Her promotion has been described as breaking “the brass ceiling” of the armed forces.
Colonel Stephanie Dawson, First Woman to Lead the Harlem Hellfighters
December 29, 2008 02:00 PM
On November 16, 2008, Col. Stephanie Dawson was named commander of the 369th Sustainment Brigade, also known as the Harlem Hellfighters, a National Guard unit renowned for its remarkable service during World War I.
Jeanne Shaheen, First Woman Elected to the US Senate From NH
December 29, 2008 08:15 AM
Democrat Jeanne Shaheen, New Hampshire’s first female governor, became the state’s first female senator in November, beating Republican incumbent John Sununu by 7 percent.
Rashida Tlaib, First Muslim Woman to Become a Michigan State Representative
December 28, 2008 09:45 AM
In November, 32-year-old Rashida Tlaib won 44 percent of the vote in an eight-way Democratic primary contest for a seat in the Michigan state legislature.

Dr. Marjolein Kriek, First Woman to Have Her DNA Sequence Determined
December 27, 2008 09:45 AM
Celebrating two firsts in May, Dutch clinical geneticist Dr. Marjolein Kriek, 34, of Leiden University Medical Centre (LUMC) in the Netherlands, became the first woman and the first European to have her complete DNA sequence determined.
Beverly Perdue, First Female Governor of North Carolina
December 27, 2008 08:15 AM
In November 2008, Beverly Perdue was elected the first female governor of North Carolina proving that, in her own words, she was "gutsy enough to make it all happen.”
Quentin Bryce, First Woman to Be Appointed Australia’s Governor-General
December 26, 2008 09:45 AM
For more than 100 years, since the position was established, the governor-general of Australia has always been a man. On September 5, 2008, Quentin Bryce changed all that.
Catherine “Cammi” Granato, First Woman to Be Inducted Into the US Hockey Hall of Fame
December 26, 2008 08:15 AM
Capping a trailblazing career, Cammi Granato became the first woman inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame at a 2008 ceremony in Colorado.
Hillary Rodham Clinton, First Woman to Be a Presidential Candidate in Every Primary and Caucus
December 25, 2008 08:15 AM
In 2008, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton became the first woman to hold a spot as a presidential candidate in every primary and caucus in every state, and the first woman to win a presidential primary.
Peggy Whitson, First Woman to Command the International Space Station
December 24, 2008 08:30 AM
On April 19, 2008, Peggy Whitson completed a tour as the first female commander of the International Space Station. A veteran NASA astronaut, Whitson oversaw the station’s first expansion in six years.
Dara Torres, First US Swimmer to Compete in 5 Olympics
December 23, 2008 08:15 AM
Dara Torres is the first U.S. swimmer to compete in five Olympic Games. At 41 years old, she’s also the oldest Olympian of either sex to medal in swimming, picking up three silvers at Beijing 2008.
The 13 Women of New Hampshire's State Senate: The First Female-Majority State Legislature in the Nation
December 18, 2008 11:39 AM
After the 2008 election, New Hampshire became the first state with a female-majority legislative house. Thirteen members of the 24-seat chamber are women.
Eri Yoshida, First Woman to Join a Men's Professional Baseball League in Japan
December 17, 2008 11:24 AM
A Japanese team drafted 16-year-old Eri Yoshida in November, making her the first woman to play baseball with the men in Japan.

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2008 Firsts for Women from WowOwow

Brittany Catanzaro, First Female Ferry Captain for New York Waterway and Hero to US Airways Flight 1549

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