Take a minute to think about the many women lawyers, doctors, athletes, judges, pilots, and countless others. There are lots of working women! But, it wasn't so long ago that women were limited to certain professions, like teaching and nursing. In fact, it wasn't even until 1920 that women earned the right to vote after the passing of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution. Now, think about the brave women who fought to become the first in their field, breaking the gender barriers and paving the way toward equal rights. This series will celebrate Women's History Month and take a look at some of those exciting "firsts."

Nellie Tayloe Ross became the first female Governor of Wyoming on January 5, 1925. It was more by circumstance than a cleverly run political campaign that she ended up as Governor. Her husband, who was serving as Governor of Wyoming, died about 1 month before the general election in November 1924. Nellie was nominated by the Democratic party to fill her husband's vacant spot. She did not run a campaign for office; instead, she wrote two open letters stating her intentions, and some of her friends paid for political ads. In the end, she won the election, becoming the Nation's first female Governor. Since Ross's time, 19 women have served as Governors to 17 States.

Sandra Day O'Connor, who became the first female Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court when she was appointed by former President Ronald Regan in 1981, grew up a lonely child in Arizona on her parents' ranch. The nearest neighbors lived 25 miles away so to keep herself busy, she read as much as she could. In order to attend school, Sandra went to live with her grandmother. She graduated from high school at 16 and went to Stanford University. During college, a legal dispute over her family's ranch created an interest in law so she enrolled at Stanford Law after graduation. Sandra took only 2 years, instead of the normal 3, to complete law school. Despite her great education, no law firm wanted to hire a woman, so she could only find work as a legal secretary. After a while, she decided to start her own law firm. She worked as a lawyer and then as a full-time mom for 5 years. After she returned to work, she became the assistant state attorney general in Arizona, starting her career in politics. She became a Senator and then a judge. Within 3 years, she was nominated to the Supreme Court.

In 1984, Geraldine Ferraro became the first female on a political ticket of a major political party when Walter Mondale selected her as his vice presidential running mate. Although they eventually lost the election to Ronald Regan, Ferraro's campaign became an important first in political history.

Dr. Condoleezza Rice, appointed by President George W. Bush, is the first woman to be National Security Advisor. She grew up in Birmingham, AL, in the 1950s in segregated neighborhoods and schools. With her parents'support, Condoleezza believed she could achieve anything by working hard. She played piano at age 3, was a competitive figure skater in high school, and graduated high school at 16 years of age. She completed her Ph.D. at age26 and began teaching political science at Stanford University. During this time, she received two of the highest teaching honors. In 1989, Condoleezza became director and then senior director of Soviet and East European affairs in the National Security Council. In 1997, she was on the Federal Advisory Committee on Gender-Integrated Training in the Military. On January 22,2001, she became Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs.

Bessie Coleman became the first African-American female pilot during a time of widespread racial discrimination. Bessie grew up in Texas during the late 1800s. When she turned 23, she moved to Chicago to live with her brothers. She heard the tales of soldier returning from World War I and became interested in flight. She applied to American flight schools but was not let in because she was both African-American and a woman. So, Bessie traveled to France to learn to fly and earned her pilot's license in 1921. During the next 5 years, she flew in many air shows performing stunts. Bessie died tragically in 1926 during an air show stunt.

Amelia Earhart, the first woman to earn a pilot's license, also became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean on May 20, 1932. During her historic flight, she also broke the record for flying the longest distance nonstop by a woman and the record for crossing the Atlantic in the shortest time. Amelia became a celebrity. She and her plane disappeared over the South Pacific during an attempt to fly around the world in 1937.

Although women did not earn the right to vote until 1920 with the passing of the 19th Amendment, many women spent their lives working to make this happen.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony are two of the most famous suffragettes who worked in the movement to get women equal rights and the right to vote. Elizabeth Cady Stanton was a founder and leader of the voting rights movement. Both women, unfortunately, died before women earned the right to vote in 1920.

Sojourner Truth, who was born a slave and freed in 1827, worked to end slavery and earn equality for women. She played an important and memorable role in the struggle for voting rights when she delivered her famous "Ain't I a Woman?" speech at a women's rights convention in Ohio in 1851.