<Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> <P> International Women's Day (IWD) is celebrated on March 8 every year . It is a focal point in the movement for women's rights . </P> <P> After the Socialist Party of America organised a Women's Day on February 28, 1909 in New York, the 1910 International Socialist Woman's Conference suggested a Women's Day be held annually . After women gained suffrage in Soviet Russia in 1917, March 8 became a national holiday there . The day was then predominantly celebrated by the socialist movement and communist countries until it was adopted in 1975 by the United Nations . </P> <P> Today, International Women's Day is a public holiday in some countries and largely ignored elsewhere . In some places, it is a day of protest; in others, it is a day that celebrates womanhood . </P>

When was national women's day first celebrated