9 Facts About Jeannette Rankin, the First Woman Elected to Congress

(via Mental Floss)  In 1916, four years before the ratification of the 19th Amendment gave women the nationwide right to vote, Montana suffragist Jeannette Rankin—who was born on this day in 1880—became the first woman elected to the United States Congress. In her later years, she also led important crusades for peace and women’s rights.