Left Up to Women: Famous Firsts Quiz

Answer: Hannah Slater

In 1793, Hannah Slater invented a type of cotton sewing thread that could be used to help her husband Samuel Slater's textile business. Samuel Slater was named as "The Father of the American Industrial Revolution" by Andrew Jackson.

Answer: Elizabeth Blackwell

Although she originally worked as a teacher, Elizabeth Blackwell began seeking admission to medical schools in 1847. She was turned down by all of them except for Geneva Medical College in New York, and graduated at the top of her class in 1849. She became the founder of the New York Infirmary for Women & Children.

Answer: 4-star General

On Nov. 14, 2008, after 33 years of service, Dunwoody was promoted to four-star general, becoming the first American woman to be so honored. For her service she was decorated a number of times, receiving the Distinguished Service Medal and the Defense Superior Service Medal, among other awards.

Answer: New Zealand

Women's suffrage was granted in 1893 after nearly two decades of campaigning by Kate Sheppard and groups like the Womens' Christian Temperance Union. Also in 1893, Elizabeth Yates became Mayor of Onehunga. This was the first time a woman had held an elected office (above School Board or Poor Law Guardian) in the entire British Empire.

Answer: Tennis

Women were first allowed to compete in the Olympics at the 1900 Summer Olympics located in Paris, France. In addition to winning gold at the Olympics, Cooper also won five Wimbledon singles titles. In addition, Cooper became deaf at the age of 26.

Answer: Iowa

Despite an Iowa state law restricting the bar exam to males, Arabella Mansfield took the exam and earned high scores. After she successfully sued the state for the right to be a lawyer,, Iowa amended its licensing statute and became the first state to accept women and minorities into its bar. Mansfield spent most of her career teaching college students.

Answer: President

Woodhull was an advocate of free love, which she meant to include the freedom to marry, divorce, and bear children without government interference. She was the first woman to start a weekly newspaper and an activist for women's rights and labor reforms.

In 1872, she was the first female candidate for President of the United States, running as a candidate for the Equal Rights Party. She was arrested on obscenity charges a few days before the election and received zero electoral votes.

Answer: Jane Addams

In 1889 Addams and her college friend, Ellen Gates Starr, co-founded Hull House in Chicago, Illinois, the first settlement house in the United States. At its height, Hull House was visited each week by more than 2,000 people. Its facilities included a night school for adults, kindergarten classes, clubs for older children, a public kitchen, an art gallery, a coffee house, a gym, a girls' club, a bathhouse, a book bindery, a music school, a drama group, and a library.

In 1931, Addams became the first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

Answer: Kathryn Bigelow

Kathryn Bigelow won an Academy Award for Best Director for her film, "The Hurt Locker." The film was nominated for nine Academy Awards in total and won nine of them, including Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay.

Answer: Edith Wharton

In addition to her novels, Wharton also wrote 85 short stories and an autobiography. Her novel "The Age of Innocence" was published in 1920 and won the 1921 Pulitzer Prize for Literature.