1960
The FDA approves the first birth-control pill, Enovid. Within two years, more than 1 million women are taking it. But research links the pill's whopping levels of synthetic estrogen to an increased risk of heart attack, blood clots, and stroke, sparking panic among pill users.

1992
Though it has already been used by more than 30 million women worldwide since 1969, the FDA approves Depo-Provera, the first hormone shot to prevent pregnancy for several months at a time.

1998
The FDA approves the first emergency contraceptive in the United States. Nicknamed "the morning-after pill," it can be taken up to 72 hours after unprotected sex.

2000
Jennifer Erickson, a 27-year-old pharmacist in Seattle, gets tired of telling female customers that their insurance doesn't cover birth-control pills, so she sues her employer for not covering it. She wins the suit a year later, sending a message to employers nationwide that a failure to cover the Pill is sexual discrimination.