@KneeNeart yeah, I assume that the first woman on the moon was incidental. It's pretty common to talk about missions based on what makes them unique or novel, and saying "the first black person on the moon" probably didn't sound as good.

Missions usual become known to the public based on what they are called in the media, so if they referred to it as "the first woman on the moon" they are stuck with it. At least if they want people to know what they are talking about.