It all started in 776 B.C. with the Greeks.

When the first Olympics were held in ancient Greece, women were not allowed to participate in the events. Instead, they competed every four years in the Games of Hera to honor the Greek goddess who ruled over women and the earth. Since that time in history, women have made leaps and bounds in sports.

Women have faced many obstacles, fought through stereotypes and combated sexism over the centuries and sports has been no different. For a long time, people like the ancient Greeks felt women were not good enough to play sports competitively, and especially not with men.

In 396 B.C., for example, Kyniska, a Spartian princess, won an Olympic chariot race but was barred from collecting her prize in person. It wasn’t until the 18th and 19th centuries when acceptance of women playing sports began to be more commonplace.

But even when women began to take part in sports such as golf, horse racing and lacrosse, they were still kept separate from the men. Some might have said that women at the time lacked the experience to compete against men in sports but it is clear this gap has definitely narrowed.

1887
Ellen Hansell was cowned the first Woman's Singles tennis champion a the U.S. Open.

1895
The first women’s softball team was formed at Chicago’s West Division High School.

1948
Patty Berg became a founder and first president of the Ladies’ Professional Golf Association.

1953
International basketball competition began for women. The USA women’s team won the gold medal in the World Championships.

1966
Roberta Gibb of the United States became the first woman to finish the Boston Marathon, a feat she repeated in 1967 and 1968. She finished in the top third of the 500 men.

1984
Dorothy Hamill won the first of four straight world professional figure skating championships.

1987
Jackie Joyner-Kersee became the first woman athlete featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated (aside from the swimsuit edition).

1991
The NBA hired two female referees, Dee Kantner and Violet Palmer, the first to work regular-season games in a major men’s pro-sports league. And, the WNBA kicked off it’s first season.

1997
The U.S. Women’s Soccer team won the first-ever women’s world championship, beating Norway.