Famous political firsts by American women
On June 7, 2008 -- eight years ago to the day -- Hillary Clinton conceded the Democratic primary to Barack Obama. "Although we weren't able to shatter that highest, hardest glass ceiling this time, thanks to you, it's got about 18 million cracks in it," she said during a speech at the National Building Museum, as she formally left the race.
Now, Clinton has finally shattered that ceiling, becoming the first woman in American history to clinch a major political party's nomination for the presidency. She follows in the footsteps of other famous first American women, from Jeannette Rankin to Janet Yellen -- here are some of them:
First female member of Congress: Jeannette Rankin
The Montana Republican was elected to the House in 1916 - four years before the ratification of the 20th Amendment giving women the right to vote. She voted against the United States' entry in World War I, launched an unsuccessful for Senate in 1918, and was reelected to the House in 1940. A militant pacifist, she was the only member of Congress to vote against the declaration of war against Japan after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
First woman to be elected to the House and Senate: Margaret Chase Smith
First elected in 1940, Smith served in Congress for 33 years. Today, she is best remembered for her blistering 1950 speech attacking Joe McCarthy, her fellow Senate Republican. "I don't want to see the Republican Party ride to political victory on the four horseman of calumny - fear, ignorance, bigotry and smear," she said on the Senate floor.
First woman elected governor who was not the wife or widow of a former governor: Ella Grasso
Elected in 1974, Grasso, a Democrat, famously "closed" the state of Connecticut during the winter storm of 1978, shutting down all public roads. The risky move was a success. After easily winning a second term, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 1980 and died less than a year later. She was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1983.
First female secretary of state: Madeleine Albright
Nominated for the position by President Bill Clinton in 1996 and unanimously confirmed by the Senate, the Czech-born Albright taught at Georgetown University and advised Democratic candidates on foreign policy before being appointed Ambassador to the United Nations in 1993.
First woman to become Chair of the Federal Reserve: Janet Yellen
Yellen, a Yale-educated economist, has served as chair of the Federal Reserve since 2013. Over the course of her career she has taught at Harvard, the London School of Economics, and the University of California, Berkeley. With the economy improving since the 2008 financial crisis, she increased interest rates in 2015 for the first time in nearly a decade.