Thread by @Goodable

Today is International Women’s Day.

Throughout history, women have broken barriers, inspired movements, and changed the world.

These are eight women whose stories you should know.

A 🧵.

#IWD2022

Claudette Colvin grew up in the South at a time when racism was the law.

At fifteen, she became the first person to challenge Alabama’s segregation laws when she refused to give up her bus seat for a white passenger.

Her courage led to segregation being ruled unconstitutional.

Katherine Johnson started university at fifteen.

She became a mathematician at NASA, where she was the only woman on an all-male flight research team.

Her work influenced every major space program, including Project Mercury and Apollo 11.

She did all her calculations by hand.

Marie Curie was a scientist who discovered radium and created mobile x-rays. Her work went on to shape the 20th and 21st centuries.

She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, and the only woman to win a Nobel Prize twice.

Millions of people are alive today because of her.

In 2021, Simone Biles withdrew from the Olympics to take care of her mental health.

Two months later, she testified before the senate about the abuse she and her fellow gymnasts had faced.

She showed the world what courage looks like, and the power of speaking up.

In 1973, Billie Jean King threatened to boycott the US Open unless women were paid the same as men.

It was a bold move, but she didn't back down. And it worked.

Thanks to her, women get paid the same prize money as men at the Grand Slams.

Shirley Chisholm was the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress.

In 1972, she became the first Black woman to run for president under a major political party.

She was told the color of her skin and her gender made her inferior.

She proved them all wrong.

In 1887, a group of men put Susanna Salter’s name on the mayoral election ballot.

They were hoping to humiliate women with her loss.

Instead, she won, becoming the first female mayor in the United States.

She showed every critic that women could have a place in politics.

When she was 15, Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head because she spoke up for women’s rights to education.

She survived.

At 17, she became the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.

She showed the world that young girls with big dreams are more powerful than hatred.

These are just some of the incredible women who have changed the world.

Today, and every day, we celebrate their strength, courage, and determination.

Here’s to the shattering of glass ceilings.

#IWD2022