In the last 50 years, the world has seen a lot of change
From the invention of the World Wide Web to the launch of The Hubble Space Telescope and the cloning of sheep, the list is endless.
But 2026 also marks a historic milestone for closing the gap within sport.
For the first time in Olympic history, women were able to compete at the 1976 Summer Olympic Games in Montreal, Canada.
To put that in perspective, BOA Chair Dame Katherine Grainger, who won five Olympic medals for Team GB across her career, was born eight months before women were even able to row at the Olympics.
To mark the occasion, Henley Royal Regatta is celebrating the introduction of the women's Olympic classes across the 2026 event, remembering the remarkable women who paved the way.
It aligns with three new women’s events for the 2026 regatta in a final step towards gender parity.
Present at the week's celebrations were Paris 2024 Olympic champions in the women's quadruple sculls, Lola Anderson and Hannah Scott, with the former noting just how instrumental those rowing trailblazers were.
"The progress has been because of all of the generations of women before us who fought for this and pushed to get equal rights within the sport," said Anderson.
"We are now living at a stage in modern sport where women and men can not only compete with each other but also against each other in terms of the successes that we can achieve.
"I think that is really exciting. We are not just proud to be part of this legacy but also grateful for all the women that came before us to get here."
The modern Olympic Games first took place in 1896, meaning that it took 80 years for the women's rowing programme to be added to the Games.
Women first took part in the Games at the 1900 edition in Paris, able to compete in tennis, sailing, croquet, and golf.
It was not until Paris 2024 that full gender parity was achieved, in what was a full-circle moment for the French capital.
Anderson and Scott soared to the top of the podium for Team GB at that Games, joining forces with Lauren Henry and Georgie Brayshaw to seal quad gold in a time of 6:16.31.
It was a historic moment which saw the quartet surge over the line in the final stroke against the Netherlands to clinch victory.
Emily Craig and Imogen Grant also won gold in the women's lightweight double sculls, while Team GB claimed silver in the women's four and bronze medals in the double sculls and women's eight. In total, Britain's female rowers won a total of five medals in Paris.
Now, 50 years on from the first inclusion of the events, Scott is ready for more to follow in her wake.
"Lola and I have both lived our dream to compete in the Olympics and so to have the success that we've had on top of it is beyond our imagination," she said.
"I feel like we have had a bit of a responsibility since the Games to keep living out the dream.
"We want to be role models like the people we looked up to in terms of body image in sport and not taking yourself too seriously.
"I want to leave the sport in a better place than it was when I started. Being a role model is one thing, I just want to enjoy it.
"I am happy if someone can just pick up an oar and enjoy the sport for what it is."