On this day in 1939, Clare Hollingworth became the first journalist to report the outbreak of WWII

On this day in 1939, war correspondent Clare Hollingworth became the first journalist to report the outbreak of World War II, described as “the scoop of the century”. She was travelling from Poland to Germany as a rookie reporter for the British newspaper The Telegraph when she spotted and reported German forces massed on the Polish border. The Telegraph headline read: “1,000 tanks massed on Polish border”. She scored another scoop when Germany launched their invasion three days later.

In 1982, she was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire by Elizabeth II for “services to journalism.”

Also on 01 September

In 1773 Phillis Wheatley became the first African-American author of a published book of poetry, with the publication in London of Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral bringing her fame both in England and the American colonies.

In 1977 American tennis player Tracy Austin became the youngest woman to play in the US Open at the age of 14, beating Heidi Eisterlehner, from Germany, in a 1st round match.

Read more about women’s achievements throughout history here