Timeline of women in Antarctica

Updated on Oct 11, 2024

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This is a Timeline of women in Antarctica. This article describes many of the firsts and accomplishments that women from various countries have accomplished in different fields of endeavor on the continent of Antarctica.

650s

650

Māori explorer, Ui-te-rangiora, is described in oral tradition as having reached Antarctic waters.

1770s

1773

The first Western woman to visit the Antarctic region was Louise Séguin, who sailed on the Roland with Yves Joseph de Kerguelen in 1773.

1776-1777

First female scientist in the sub-Antarctic region is botanist valet, Jeanne Baret.

1830s

1833

First written account about sub-Antarctic travel from a woman's perspective is written by Abby Jane Morrell.

1839

An unnamed female castaway who later traveled on the Eliza Scott and Sabrina journeyed "within sight of the continent."

1930s

1931

Norwegian Ingrid Christensen and her companion, Mathilde Wegger, were the first recorded women to see Antarctica.

1935

Caroline Mikkelsen of Denmark becomes the first woman to step foot on Antarctica.

1937

Christensen landed at Scullin Monolith, becoming the first woman to set foot on the Antarctic mainland, followed by her daughter, Augusta Sofie Christensen, and two other women: Lillemor Rachlew, and Solveig Widerøeher.

1940s

1947

Jackie Ronne is the first woman to explore Antarctica.

1947-1948

Ronne and Jennie Darlington winter-over. They are the first women to spend a year on Antarctica.

1950s

1956

Geologist Maria Klenova of the Soviet Union was the first woman to begin scientific work in Antarctica. Klenova helped create the first Antarctic atlas.

Jennie Darlington publishes her book about spending a year in Antarctica called My Antarctic Honeymoon.

1957

Ruth Kelley and Pat Heppinstall, airline stewardesses, become first women to visit a United States Antarctic base.

1959-1960

Mary Gillham, Susan Ingham, Isobel Bennett and Hope MacPherson became the first British and Australian women scientists to do research in the Antarctic region joining an (Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition) ANARE trip to Macquarie Island in December 1959.

1960s

1960

Artist Nel Law is the first Australian women to set foot in Antarctica, landing at Mawson and visiting in an unofficial capacity.

1968

First team of Argentinian women work on Antarctica. They include biologist Irene Bernasconi, bacteriologist Maria Adela Caria, biologist Elena Martinez Fontes and Carmen Pujals, a specialist in algae.

The first New Zealand woman to visit the mainland of Antarctica was Marle Darby.

1969

The United States Congress lifts the ban on American women working in Antarctica.

First team of women scientists from the United States, led by Lois Jones, works on Antarctica.

First group of women to reach the pole were Pam Young, Jean Pearson, Lois Jones, Eileen McSaveney, Kay Lindsay and Terry Tickhill. The women stepped off of the C-130 ramp at the same time.

Christine Müller-Schwarze is the first woman to do scientific research on the continent of Antarctica.

1970s

1970

Engineer Irene C. Peden is the first United States woman to work in the interior of Antarctica.

1974

Mary Alice McWhinnie is the chief scientist at McMurdo Station, becoming the first United States woman serving in that capacity on Antarctica.

McWhinnie and Mary Odile Cahoon become the first women to winter-over at McMurdo Station.

Australian women are allowed to travel to the Australian Antarctic Territory (AAT).

1974-1975

First women civilian contractors on Antarctica were Elena Marty and Jan Boyd.

1975

Eleanor Honnywill is the first woman to be awarded the Fuchs Medal from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS).

The House of Representatives in Australia is asked how many women have gone to Antarctica so far: the answer is one.

1975-1976

Mary Alice McWhinnie is the first woman scientist to work at Palmer Station.

The first three Australian women to visit the continent of Antarctica in an official capacity -Elizabeth Chipman, Jutta Hösel and Shelagh Robinson visit Casey station for the summer.

1976

Dr Zoe Gardner becomes the first woman to overwinter with the Australian Antarctic program as a medical officer on sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island.

1977

Meher Moos becomes the first Indian woman to visit Antarctica.

1978

Silvia Morello de Palma of Argentina is the first woman to give birth on Antarctica on January 7.

1979

First year the United States Navy advertises for "qualified female volunteers to over-winter in Antarctica."

1978-1979

Michele Eileen Raney is the first woman physician to work year-round on Antarctica. She was also the first woman to winter at the South Pole.

1980s

1981

Dr Louise Holliday is the first woman to overwinter in Antarctica for the Australian Antarctic program serving as medical officer at Davis station.

1983

First British woman, Janet Thomson, joins the British Antarctic Survey, and becomes the first British woman on Antarctica.

On November 16, American, Brooke Knapp, is the first person to land at McMurdo Station for a round the world flight and the first person to pilot a business jet over both the North and South Poles.

Geologist Sudipta Sengupta and Aditi Pant, a marine biologist are the first women scientists from India to take part in Antarctic Expedition.

1984

Josefina Castellví is the first Spanish woman to participate in and coordinate an international expedition to Antarctica.

1985

First woman married at the South Pole is Patricia Manglicmot to Randall Chambers.

The first women to winter-over at Palmer Station were Ann Wylette and Becky Heimark.

1986

The first Polar Medal is awarded to a woman, Virginia Fiennes, who was honored for her work in the Transglobe Expedition.

Ann Peoples became the manager of the Berg Field Center in 1986, becoming the first U.S. woman to serve in a "significant leadership role."

1987

Elizabeth Chipman publishes Women on the Ice: A History of Women in the Far South.

1988

American Lisa Densmore is the first woman to summit Mount Vinson.

1987-1988

First South African women to over-winter at Marion Island were Marianna Steenkamp and Marieta Cawood.

1988-1989

Alison J. Clifton commands the Macquarie Island station, becoming the first woman to lead an sub-Antarctic base.

1989

Victoria E. Murden and Shirley Metz are the first women to reach the South Pole by land.

Denise Allen is the first woman awarded the Australian Antarctic Medal.

Australian, Diana Patterson, head of Mawson station, becomes the first female station leader of an Antarctic base.

1989-1990

Joan Russell at Casey station and Monika Puskeppeleit at Georg von Neumayer are the first women to simultaneously lead bases on the continent.

1990s

1990-1991

First all-female over-wintering group spends the winter at Georg von Neumayer, with leader Monika Puskeppeleit.

1991

In-Young Ahn is the first female leader of an Asian research station (King Sejong Station), and the first South Korean woman to step onto Antarctica.

Serap Tilav is the first Turkish woman at the South Pole.

Junko Tabei, who later becomes the first woman to complete the Seven Summits, climbs to the summit of Mount Vinson.

1992

Judy Chesser Coffman, of the U.S. Navy, was the first female helicopter pilot to fly in Antarctica, in support of the National Science Foundation (NSF).

1993

Ann Bancroft leads the first all-woman expedition to the South Pole and becomes the first woman to reach both the South and North Pole.

1994

Liv Arnesen of Norway is the first woman to ski alone to the South Pole.

Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr-Baumann with Lin Onus become the first Indigenous Australians to visit Antarctica.

1996

First year that women over-winter at the Halley Research Station.

1996-1997

Laurence de la Ferrière is the first French woman to cross the Antarctic solo.

Aithne Rowse is the first South African woman to overwinter in Antarctica.

2000s

2000

Zhao Ping and Lin Qing are the first Chinese women to over-winter at Antarctica.

Caroline Hamilton and four other women become the first British women to walk to the South Pole as an all-women expedition.

2001

Ann Bancroft and Liv Arnesen are the first women to ski across Antarctica.

2003

Lynne Cox swims more than mile in Antarctic waters.

US Coast Guard pilot Sidonie Bosin is the first female aviation officer in charge of air crews in the Antarctic.

2004

Linda Beilharz is the first Australian woman to ski to the South Pole.

Jackie Ronne publishes her memoirs about her year in Antarctica called Antarctica's First Lady: Memoirs of the First American Woman to Set Foot on the Antarctic Continent and Winter-Over as a Member of a Pioneering Expedition.

2005

Merieme Chadid is the first Moroccan woman on Antarctica.

Loretta Feris is the first black South African woman to work as a principal investigator for an Antarctic project.

2006

Hannah McKeand sets coast-to-pole solo/unsupported record of 39 days, 9 hours and 33 minutes.

Bettine van Vuuren of South Africa is the first female scientist Chief Scientist in the South African National Antarctic Programme's annual relief voyage in 2006.

2007

Clare O'Leary is the first Irish woman to reach the South Pole.

Sarah Ames of Germany is the first woman to complete a marathon on all seven continents.

2008

Sumiyo Tsuzuki is the first Japanese woman to reach the South Pole.

2010s

2010

Karla Wheelock from Mexico leads the first Latin American expedition in Antarctica.

2011

First woman from Kuwait on Antarctica is Maryam al-Joan.

First African-American woman to reach the South Pole is Barbara Hillary on January 6. She is also the first African-American woman to have been to both poles.

2012

Felicity Ashton of the United Kingdom is the first person to ski alone across Antarctica, using only her own muscle power. She is also the first woman to cross Antarctica alone.

The first woman to climb Mount Sidley was sixteen year old Romanian Crina Coco Popescu.

Zeena Al Towayya is the first Omani woman, and Sahar Al Shamrani is the first Saudi women to travel to Antarctica.

2014

On December 23, the Seven Summits Women Team becomes the first group of Nepali women to climb the Seven Summits when they reach the top of Mount Vinson.

2016

First large (78 member) all-women expedition, Homeward Bound, goes to Antarctica.

References

Timeline of women in Antarctica Wikipedia

(Text) CC BY-SA

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