Hattie Caraway becomes the first woman elected to the United States Senate.

Hattie Ophelia Wyatt Caraway was an American politician who was United States Senator from Arkansas from 1931 to 1945. She was the first woman elected to the Senate, the first woman to serve a full term as a United States senator, and the first woman to be reelected to the Senate. She was also the first woman to preside over the Senate. She won reelection to a full term in 1932 with the active support of fellow Senator Huey Long, of neighboring Louisiana.

The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the U.S. Constitution to pass or defeat federal legislation.

January 12 is the 12th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 353 days remain until the end of the year.