Women’s History Month is a celebration that recognizes notable women that have made extraordinary contributions to history.

The celebration of Women’s History has only been commemorated since the early 1970s, after the Education Task Force of the Sonoma County (California) Commission on the Status of Women deemed that the general populace and students from kindergarten through high school had no knowledge about the topic.
The board chose the week of March 8, International Women’s Day, to start the celebration. After about a decade, the National Women’s History Project petitioned Congress to extend the observation to the entire month of March and the appeal was approved.

Each year there is a theme that acknowledges notable women. For Women’s History Month 2002 the theme is “Women Sustaining the American Spirit.” Since 1987, Women’s History Month has been celebrated in schools and communities. Events such as parades, contests and other programs have been planned all over the United States to celebrate this month.