This time period is one that if we look back on most of us remembers fondly, we have lived through it alongside Cristoforetti. European history is not as common for us to know, but for Cristoforetti these events are what she grew up hearing about in the news. In 1996 a scientist in Scotland succeed in cloning a sheep from a single cell. This was a major technological advancement for the entire world (history, 2014). It was not until 2006 that most of the homes in Europe have high-speed Internet access; this is also a popular time for families to begin having cell phones, flat-screen TV’s and DVD players in their own homes. Coming from Milan Cristoforetti has been exposed to many different cultural aspects. Many different countries including Austria, Spain, and France have ruled Milan. Due to many countries having control of Milan there is a wide range of religions, languages, and ways of living. In the 1980’s, the years of Cristoforetti childhood personal computers were becoming popular; she was growing up in what was the Fashion Capital of the world. This change in attraction made Milan a tourist destination, many house names such as Dolce & Gabbana and Versace originated in Milan. Milan became known for a place to drink and look good (M., F., 2014). In the 1990s Milan experienced a detrimental financial crisis that quickly resulted in a decline of textile manufacturing. During the last 30 years women have been advancing greatly in higher educations, they are more likely now then ever to attend college and get a degree. Currently in the society more women are likely to attend college than men, including areas of computer science and mathematics (women’s, 2011). However, even with high statistics to accomplish and succeed in schooling a large proportion of women in Italy find themselves unemployed after college. The majority of families who reside in Italy come from a strong background in Roman Catholic. This makes many people believe in a higher evil, spells, witches, and more.

Cristoforetti began her career in 2001 joining the Italian Air Force Academy and graduating soon after in 2005. She then joined the ESA in 2009. During these years many inventions were beginning to come around. In 2005 YouTube was created, and in 2006 was named invention of the year (M.B., 2016). In today’s society there is an invention for nearly everything, we have Google for when were stuck without an answer, we have Facebook to instantly upload pictures, and other sights and technological advancements that one person could hardly remember all of. Cristoforetti may be the first Italian women in space but she is not the first to experience life in what many ancestors would look at as privileged. With a tool or app to solve every problem that may come throughout ones lifetime it has become easier to share, document, and encourage others in success.