Q: Who was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the only woman to win two?

A: Marie Curie was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the only person to win in multiple sciences. She received the coveted award in both Physics and Chemistry.

Q: What was the first sporting event that women were allowed to compete in at the Olympics?

A: At the first Winter Games in 1924, the only event open to women was figure skating. Only 15 women participated in these games.

Recently, I had the opportunity to travel with our president, Nicky Goren, to a meeting of the Partnership for Women’s Prosperity, a cohort of six women’s funds from across the country that share best practices and find replicable solutions to address systemic problems facing economically vulnerable women and girls nationwide. Our collective grantmaking will touch the lives of more than 16,500 women across the country.

Q: Who was the first female filmmaker to win an Oscar for best director?

A: In 2010, Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to win an Academy Award for Best Director.  Bigelow won for The Hurt Locker.  She was the fourth woman in history to be nominated for the Best Director Award.  The previous female nominees were: Sofia Coppola (for 2003’s Lost in Translation), Jane Campion (for 1993’s The Piano) and Linda Wertmuller (for Seven Beauties in 1975).

Q: Who was the 3rd mayor of DC and the 1st African-American woman to serve as mayor of a major American city?

A: Sharon Pratt was the third mayor of the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1995. She was the first black woman to serve as mayor of a major American city. She is also to date the only woman to have served as mayor of Washington D.C.

What do you remember about turning 15? What I remember most about that incredible year was learning to drive. Getting a learner’s permit and being able to hit the road (with a licensed adult) was my first really big step toward independence and, if my mother’s terrified face over in the passenger’s seat was any indication, I was starting out enthusiastically but needed a little guidance. Her hand on the wheel helped steer me away from the mailboxes and signs that lined Roswell Road. Her slightly strained voice reminded me that I needed to switch lanes after checking my blind spot (and turning just my head, not the whole minivan). She taught me how to read a map to make sure that I was going in the right direction. Eventually, she kept her hands off the wheel and trusted me to change lanes without saying “car! Car! CAR!” to me with increasing urgency.

Q: Who was the first woman CEO of a Fortune 500 company?

A: Katherine Graham. In 1972,  she became the CEO of the Washington Post.

Q: Which celebrated singer began performing at such a young age that she was nicknamed “The Baby Contralto?” Hint: one of her most famous performances was on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1939.

Q: Who was the first woman to earn a bachelor’s degree?

A: Catherine Brewer, who was from Georgia, received a bachelor’s degree from Wesleyan College in 1840.

Q: Who was the first woman to become the president of a national bank?

A: Kate Gleason, the first woman to be president of a national bank, as well as the first woman member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.