HISTORY was made in the Scottish Parliament today as MSPs voted Nicola Sturgeon as the first woman First Minister.

The 44-year-old Glasgow Southside MSP entered the debating chamber just after 2pm flanked by John Swinney and her friend and colleague Shona Robison.

She took the front bench seat normally occupied by Alex Salmond over the last seven years and waved and smiled often at the gallery where her husband Peter, her mum, dad sister and her eight year old niece and three nephews sat.

After a vote where she defeated Ruth Davidson 66 to 15 the Irvine born, former Drumchapel lawyer was in charge.

She was congratulated first by Ms Robison to her left with a kiss.

Ms Sturgeon in accepting the post said she hoped to send a message to all women and young girls that no glass ceiling should limit their ambitions. "If you are good enough and work hard enough, The sky's the limit" she said.

She added: "To be elected First Minister is very special. To make history as the first woman First Minister is even more so."

Alex Salmond sat two rows back as the opposition leaders Jackie Baillie Ruth Davidson, Willie Rennie and Patrick Harvie offered their congratulations to Ms Sturgeon as his successor.

Now the long farewell of Alex Salmond is over, and Ms Sturgeon has been appointed it is time to get down to work.

She said she wanted to be the First Minister for all of Scotland and pledged to work with all parties to deliver a better, fairer more socially just Scotland.

Ms Sturgeon is Scotland's fifth First Minister following Donald Dewar from 1999-2000, Henry McLeish 2000 to 2001, Jack McConnell, 2001 to 2007 and Alex Salmond, 2007 to 2014.

Tomorrow she goes to the Court of Session to be officially sworn in and take over the formal duties as First Minister of Scotland.