International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated worldwide on March 8th to honor the achievements of women and advocate for gender equality. This special day recognizes the contributions of women in various fields, from politics and science to literature and social activism. One of the most engaging ways to celebrate International Women’s Day is through trivia questions. Trivia can be an exciting and educational way to test your knowledge while learning more about the history and significance of this day.
In this article, we will provide a comprehensive list of trivia questions about International Women’s Day, covering historical milestones, notable female figures, and fun facts. Whether you’re organizing an event, participating in a quiz, or just want to challenge yourself, these trivia questions will make your International Women’s Day celebration more engaging and informative.
International Women’s Day Trivia Questions
Here are 101 International Women’s Day trivia questions categorized by various themes:
History and Origins
Q: When was International Women’s Day first celebrated?
A: 1909
Q: Who organized the first National Women’s Day in the United States?
A: The Socialist Party of America
Q: What year was International Women’s Day celebrated for the first time globally?
A: 1911
Q: Which country declared International Women’s Day a national holiday in 1917?
A: Russia
Q: The United Nations started celebrating International Women’s Day in which year?
A: 1977
Q: What was the theme for International Women’s Day in 2021?
A: “Choose to Challenge”
Q: Which organization recognizes March 8th as International Women’s Day globally?
A: United Nations
Q: What major historical event did Russian women protest for on International Women’s Day in 1917?
A: The end of World War I
Q: What was the original focus of International Women’s Day when it was first established?
A: Workers’ rights and gender equality
Q: What year did the United Nations declare International Women’s Day a global day of celebration?
A: 1975
Women in Politics
Q: Who was the first woman to be elected Prime Minister of the United Kingdom?
A: Margaret Thatcher
Q: Which woman became the first female Chancellor of Germany?
A: Angela Merkel
Q: Who was the first female Prime Minister of India?
A: Indira Gandhi
Q: Who became the first woman to serve as the Vice President of the United States in 2021?
A: Kamala Harris
Q: Which woman served as the first female Prime Minister of Pakistan?
A: Benazir Bhutto
Q: Who was the first woman to lead France as Prime Minister?
A: Édith Cresson
Q: Who was the first female president of Brazil?
A: Dilma Rousseff
Q: Who was the first female president of Chile?
A: Michelle Bachelet
Q: Who is the current female president of Taiwan?
A: Tsai Ing-Wen
Q: Who was the first woman elected as the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives?
A: Nancy Pelosi
Women in Science
Q: Who was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize in Physics?
A: Marie Curie
Q: Who was the first female astronaut in space?
A: Valentina Tereshkova
Q: Which woman invented the first computer algorithm?
A: Ada Lovelace
Q: Who discovered the structure of DNA along with James Watson and Francis Crick?
A: Rosalind Franklin
Q: Who is the first woman to win two Nobel Prizes in two different scientific fields?
A: Marie Curie
Q: Who invented the first system for writing in Braille?
A: Louis Braille (inspired by the work of women in the field)
Q: Who was the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States?
A: Elizabeth Blackwell
Q: Who is credited with discovering radioactivity?
A: Marie Curie
Q: Who was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize in Chemistry?
A: Marie Curie
Q: Who was the first woman to be awarded a Ph.D. in astronomy?
A: Caroline Herschel
Women in Literature
Q: Who wrote “Pride and Prejudice”?
A: Jane Austen
Q: Which female author created the character of Harry Potter?
A: J.K. Rowling
Q: Who wrote “The Diary of a Young Girl”?
A: Anne Frank
Q: Which woman is known as the “Mother of Science Fiction” for her novel Frankenstein?
A: Mary Shelley
Q: Who was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature?
A: Selma Lagerlöf
Q: Which female poet wrote “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”?
A: Maya Angelou
Q: Who wrote the famous novel Jane Eyre?
A: Charlotte Brontë
Q: Who was the first woman to be awarded the Booker Prize for Fiction?
A: Bernice Rubens
Q: Who is the author of the Twilight series?
A: Stephenie Meyer
Q: Which author wrote The Handmaid’s Tale?
A: Margaret Atwood
Women in Entertainment
Q: Who is known as the “Queen of Pop”?
A: Madonna
Q: Who was the first woman to win an Oscar for Best Director?
A: Kathryn Bigelow
Q: Which actress starred in Legally Blonde and Election?
A: Reese Witherspoon
Q: Who won the first female Oscar for Best Director in 2010?
A: Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker
Q: Which female actress played the role of Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter movies?
A: Emma Watson
Q: Who was the first African American woman to win an Academy Award for Best Actress?
A: Halle Berry
Q: Which famous female singer is known for the song “Respect”?
A: Aretha Franklin
Q: Which female entertainer is known for the hit song “Like a Virgin”?
A: Madonna
Q: Which actress became a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador in 2014?
A: Emma Watson
Q: Who is the first woman to win a Grammy Award for Album of the Year twice?
A: Billie Eilish
Women in Sports
Q: Who was the first woman to run the Boston Marathon?
A: Kathrine Switzer
Q: Who is the most decorated female Olympian in history?
A: Simone Biles
Q: Who was the first female tennis player to earn $1 million in prize money?
A: Billie Jean King
Q: Who is known as the greatest female swimmer of all time with 23 Olympic gold medals?
A: Michael Phelps (but this record is often compared with the achievements of female athletes like Larisa Latynina)
Q: Who was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize in Peace?
A: Bertha Felicie Sophie von Suttner
Q: Who is the first woman to play in a men’s professional sports league?
A: Jackie Mitchell (baseball)
Q: Which female athlete is known for her achievements in gymnastics?
A: Simone Biles
Q: Who is the first female UFC champion?
A: Ronda Rousey
Q: Who was the first woman to win a Formula 1 race?
A: None yet (but women like Lella Lombardi made history in motorsports)
Q: Which female athlete has won the most Grand Slam singles titles?
A: Serena Williams
Women in Business
Q: Who was the first female CEO of a Fortune 500 company?
A: Katharine Graham
Q: Who is the first female self-made billionaire in the United States?
A: Sarah Blakely
Q: Which woman founded the cosmetics brand, Estée Lauder?
A: Estée Lauder
Q: Who is the founder and CEO of Yahoo?
A: Marissa Mayer
Q: Which woman became the first female to head the International Monetary Fund (IMF)?
A: Christine Lagarde
Q: Who is the founder of the Spanx brand of shapewear?
A: Sara Blakely
Q: Who was the first woman to be inducted into the U.S. Business Hall of Fame?
A: Mary Kay Ash
Q: Who was the first woman to run a major car company, General Motors?
A: Mary Barra
Q: Who was the first female executive to serve on the board of directors of the Coca-Cola Company?
A: M. Michele Burns
Q: Who is the founder of the lifestyle brand Goop?
A: Gwyneth Paltrow
Women in Human Rights
Q: Who was the first woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize?
A: Bertha Felicie Sophie von Suttner
Q: Who was the youngest-ever Nobel Peace Prize laureate, known for her activism in education?
A: Malala Yousafzai
Q: Which female human rights activist was known for her role in the fight against apartheid in South Africa?
A: Winnie Madikizela-Mandela
Q: Who was the first female Secretary of State of the United States?
A: Madeleine Albright
Q: Who was the first woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 for her work on children’s education and rights?
A: Mother Teresa
Q: Which woman led the movement for women’s rights in Egypt?
A: Huda Sha’arawi
Q: Which feminist icon coined the term “feminism” in her 1910 speech at the International Socialist Women’s Congress?
A: Clara Zetkin
Q: Who was the first woman to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom?
A: Eleanor Roosevelt
Q: Who led the suffragette movement in the United Kingdom?
A: Emmeline Pankhurst
Q: Which woman was the first to speak at the United Nations General Assembly about women’s rights in 1947?
A: Eleanor Roosevelt
Women in Art and Design
Q: Who painted The Two Fridas?
A: Frida Kahlo
Q: Who was the first female artist to be recognized by the Louvre Museum?
A: Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun
Q: Who is the famous artist known for her paintings of flowers and desert landscapes?
A: Georgia O’Keeffe
Q: Who is the world-renowned artist known for her abstract art and being part of the American Modernist movement?
A: Agnes Martin
Q: Who created the famous “I AM a Man” photograph?
A: Diane Arbus
Q: Who is the famous designer known for founding the Chanel brand?
A: Coco Chanel
Q: Which woman designed the “Mona Lisa”?
A: Leonardo da Vinci
Q: Who is the first woman to be inducted into the New York City Ballet Hall of Fame?
A: Alexandra Danilova
Q: Who painted the famous “Birth of Venus”?
A: Sandro Botticelli
Q: Which female artist is renowned for her “pop” art?
A: Claes Oldenburg
Women in Social Movements
Q: Who was the first African American woman to refuse to give up her seat on a bus, starting the Montgomery Bus Boycott?
A: Rosa Parks
Q: Who was the founder of the women’s suffrage movement in the United States?
A: Susan B. Anthony
Q: Who is known as the “Mother of the Civil Rights Movement” in the United States?
A: Rosa Parks
Q: Which woman started the #MeToo movement to raise awareness about sexual harassment?
A: Tarana Burke
Q: Who was a leading suffragette in the United Kingdom and helped secure the right to vote for women?
A: Emmeline Pankhurst
Q: Which female activist led the protest for equal rights for women in Saudi Arabia?
A: Loujain al-Hathloul
Q: Who led the movement against child labor in India?
A: Kailash Satyarthi (Indian Man, not a woman but very relevant to women’s rights activism)
Q: Who helped found the Women’s March on Washington in 2017?
A: Tamika Mallory
Q: Who was the first woman to publicly speak out about the gender pay gap at work?
A: Equal pay movement heroes like Meryl Streep
Q: Which female writer is known for the “The Color Purple” and won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction? –
A: Alice Walker
Q: Who was the advocate for the child labor movement in Europe and India for workers? –
A: Leah Eldridge
FAQs About International Women’s Day Trivia Questions
Why is International Women’s Day important?
Answer: It highlights women’s achievements and raises awareness about gender equality.
How can people celebrate International Women’s Day?
Answer: Through events, discussions, supporting women-led businesses, and learning about women’s history.
What is the theme for International Women’s Day 2024?
Answer: The theme changes yearly and is set by the United Nations.
Which country first celebrated International Women’s Day?
Answer: Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland (1911)
Why do people wear purple on International Women’s Day?
Answer: Purple symbolizes justice and dignity.
Who started International Women’s Day?
Answer: The Socialist Party of America in 1909
Which famous woman is often honored on International Women’s Day?
Answer: Many, including Malala Yousafzai, Marie Curie, and Rosa Parks.
Is International Women’s Day a public holiday?
Answer: It is in some countries, including Russia and China.
What is the official symbol of International Women’s Day?
Answer: The Venus symbol (♀)
How can men support International Women’s Day?
Answer: By advocating for gender equality and supporting women’s rights initiatives.
Conclusion
International Women’s Day is more than just a celebration—it is a call for equality and recognition of women’s contributions to society. Engaging in trivia is a fun way to educate and inspire people about the history, achievements, and ongoing struggles of women worldwide. Whether you are hosting a quiz, organizing an event, or simply learning something new, these trivia questions serve as a meaningful way to honor this special day.
