On this day in 1966, Indira Gandhi became the first female prime minister of India

On this day in 1966, Indira Gandhi became the first, and to date only, female prime minister of India. She held the post from January 1966 to March 1977, and again in 1980 until her assassination four years later. She is the second longest-serving Indian prime minister. In 2020, Time magazine named her as one of the world’s 100 powerful women who defined the last century.

Read more about women’s achievements through history here