July 6, 1976: U.S. Naval Academy Begin to Admit Women
On this day in 1976, The United States Naval Academy began to accept women as midshipmen after President Gerald Ford signed a bill that authorized the admission of women to all the service academies.
As a result, the Naval Academy accepted 81 women as midshipmen. Later, in May of 1980, Elizabeth Anne Rowe became the first woman to graduate from the academy. Today, women make up about 20 percent of students at the Naval Academy.
Learn more about the history of women in the Navy with FRONTLINE’s “The Navy Blues.“
Photo: The Class of 1980, shown at their swearing in ceremony in 1976. (United States Naval Academy)