On the 14th October 1852 the new, permanent, terminus of the Great Northern Railway opened next to what is now the Euston Road. Replacing a temporary station nearby, London King’s Cross was born and just over 170 years later the station continues to serve millions of rail passengers each year

The evening of Friday 21st January 1876 was not a pleasant one for Huntingdonshire, with blizzards raging across the county leading to poor visibility and overall poor conditions. It was these conditions that led to the Abbots Ripton rail disaster, the worst rail accident in the county and one which changed some of the fundamental practices of the railways for the better.

The International Women’s Day (IWD) organisation describes as “Celebrating women's achievements and increasing visibility, while calling out inequality, is key.” Given the fact that this year IWD falls on a Monday and the day I publish my blog posts, I’ve decided to do a post on five women that, through their firsts, changed the face of travel and transport for the better. Covering both the railways and aviation, these five women were true pioneers, and whilst you may have heard of some, a couple are lesser known but deserve to have their achievements shared.