What date is International Women's Day celebrated each year?

International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8 each year.

The date grew out of early-20th-century campaigns by women workers and socialist movements demanding voting rights, fair employment, and political representation. The first large International Women’s Day observance took place on March 19, 1911, in Austria-Hungary, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland.

March 8 became especially important after women’s demonstrations in Petrograd on March 8, 1917, which helped trigger the Russian Revolution. The date was later adopted internationally, and the United Nations officially recognized the observance in 1977.

A common mix-up is assuming the first celebration was on March 8, 1911. It was not: the first observance occurred on March 19 that year, while March 8 became the standard date later.