#25 Josephine Cochrane: The Dishwasher
Out of frustration, Josephine Cochrane invented the dishwasher. She'd been angry that hired domestic help continually broke and chipped her fine china. Cochrane's dishwasher used high water pressure aimed at a wire rack of dishes, she received a patent for it in 1886.
During this era, most houses didn't have the technology of a hot water system to run such a machine, but Cochrane persisted and sold her idea to hotels and restaurants. Eventually dishwashers moved into households as more and more women entered the workplace.
During this era, most houses didn't have the technology of a hot water system to run such a machine, but Cochrane persisted and sold her idea to hotels and restaurants. Eventually dishwashers moved into households as more and more women entered the workplace.
#24 Mary Phelps Jacob: The Modern Brassiere
Jacobs was awarded a US patent in 1914 for a Brassiere that supported the breasts up from the shoulders and separated them into two individual shapes. People had experimented with making Brassieres before, but it was the idea of "separating the breasts," that made her design unique.
Prior to Brassieres (or bras) women’s undergarments were uncomfortable. Containing whalebones and steel rods, they virtually squeezed the wearer into "shape". Jacobs' design was in contrast, soft and light, conforming to the wearer’s anatomy.
During WWI her bra design became popular when the U.S. government requested that women stop purchasing corsets in order to conserve metal. Although by this time Jacobs had sold the patent to Warner Brothers Corset Company.
Prior to Brassieres (or bras) women’s undergarments were uncomfortable. Containing whalebones and steel rods, they virtually squeezed the wearer into "shape". Jacobs' design was in contrast, soft and light, conforming to the wearer’s anatomy.
During WWI her bra design became popular when the U.S. government requested that women stop purchasing corsets in order to conserve metal. Although by this time Jacobs had sold the patent to Warner Brothers Corset Company.
#23 Grace Hopper: BM-Harvard Mark 1
Admiral Dr. Grace Murray Hopper is known as the "mother of computers"! After WWII, Hopper was stationed at Harvard, where she worked on the development of the IBM-Harvard Mark 1, the first large-scale computer in the U.S.
Dr. Hopper also invented the compiler, which translates written language into computer code. She coined the term "bug" for a computer problem, and co-developed COBOL, the first user-friendly business computer software program.
As a woman inventor, she won numerous awards, including the National Medal of Technology in 1991. By the time she passed away, Dr. Hopper had received honorary degrees from 30 universities.
Dr. Hopper also invented the compiler, which translates written language into computer code. She coined the term "bug" for a computer problem, and co-developed COBOL, the first user-friendly business computer software program.
As a woman inventor, she won numerous awards, including the National Medal of Technology in 1991. By the time she passed away, Dr. Hopper had received honorary degrees from 30 universities.
#22 Mary Anderson: The Windshield Wiper
Can you imagine, in the early 1900s if it was raining or snowing, drivers had to stop every few blocks to wipe their windshields?! Mary Anderson solved that. Although cars were rare at the time, Anderson took a notice to the situation and by 1903 she invented the wipers. It was the ingenious squeegee on a spindle attached to a handle inside the car. All the driver had to do to clear the windshield was pull down on a handle.
People were initially leery of Anderson's windshield wiper, thinking it would distract drivers, but 10 years after she patented the device, virtually every car used her invention. Also did you know, it was a woman inventor who first patented the automatic windshield wiper in 1917? It was Charlotte Bridgwood and her, "Storm Windshield Cleaner".
People were initially leery of Anderson's windshield wiper, thinking it would distract drivers, but 10 years after she patented the device, virtually every car used her invention. Also did you know, it was a woman inventor who first patented the automatic windshield wiper in 1917? It was Charlotte Bridgwood and her, "Storm Windshield Cleaner".
#21 Hedy Lamarr: Secret Communications System
The patented "Secret Communications Systems" in 1941, manipulated radio frequencies with an unbreakable code to prevent classified messages from being intercepted by enemy.
Lamarr was raised in Austria and married a millionaire, who was a Nazi sympathizer and arms dealer to Hitler during WWII. While married, she learned about advanced weaponry as she accompanied her husband to business meetings.
She grew to despise the Nazis as well as her husband and eventually escaped to London and then to the U.S. The device she invented with Anthiel was meant to be used against the Nazis in WWII, but in actuality it came into use 20 years later.
Lamarr was raised in Austria and married a millionaire, who was a Nazi sympathizer and arms dealer to Hitler during WWII. While married, she learned about advanced weaponry as she accompanied her husband to business meetings.
She grew to despise the Nazis as well as her husband and eventually escaped to London and then to the U.S. The device she invented with Anthiel was meant to be used against the Nazis in WWII, but in actuality it came into use 20 years later.
#20 Margaret Knight: The "Queen" of Paper Bags
Before the paper bag, the 1st version was shaped like an envelope, with no flat bottom. How were you supposed to fit your sandwich into that? Knight solved this by creating a machine to cut, fold, and glue square bottoms to paper bags!
She gained a patent for it in 1871, but not without a lawsuit against a fellow who stole her idea. His defense was "a woman could never design such an innovative machine," but she had the drawings to prove the invention was in fact hers and she won the case.
Knight's career with inventions started at age 12, when she developed a stop-motion device that immediately brought industrial machines to a halt if something was caught in them. Over the course of her lifetime, she was awarded over 26 patents.
She gained a patent for it in 1871, but not without a lawsuit against a fellow who stole her idea. His defense was "a woman could never design such an innovative machine," but she had the drawings to prove the invention was in fact hers and she won the case.
Knight's career with inventions started at age 12, when she developed a stop-motion device that immediately brought industrial machines to a halt if something was caught in them. Over the course of her lifetime, she was awarded over 26 patents.
#19 Tabitha Babbitt: The Circular Saw
In the early 1800s, two men were required to work a lumber saw by pulling and pushing, back and forth. But thanks to a woman, the process became much simpler. In 1813, Tabitha Babbitt created the circular saw!
Babbitt's saw was circular so that the teeth would continue cutting, unlike the straight saws that only cut on the pull, and not the push motion. We also commonly use her other building innovations, like machine-cut nails instead of individually hand-crafted nails.
As a Massachusetts Shaker community member, she helped create tool innovations for furniture making. It's said that while she lived a simple Shaker life, Babbitt never applied for patents.
Babbitt's saw was circular so that the teeth would continue cutting, unlike the straight saws that only cut on the pull, and not the push motion. We also commonly use her other building innovations, like machine-cut nails instead of individually hand-crafted nails.
As a Massachusetts Shaker community member, she helped create tool innovations for furniture making. It's said that while she lived a simple Shaker life, Babbitt never applied for patents.
#18 Stephanie Kwolek: Bullet Proof Vests
Stephanie Kwolek invented Kevlar, a tough durable material now used to make bulletproof vests. For years she'd worked on the process at DuPont and in 1963, she got the polymers or rod-like molecules in fibers to line up in one direction.
This made the material stronger than others, where molecules were arranged in bundles. In fact, the new material was as strong as steel! Kwolek's technology also went on to be used for making suspension bridge cables, helmets, brake pads, skis, and camping gear.
This made the material stronger than others, where molecules were arranged in bundles. In fact, the new material was as strong as steel! Kwolek's technology also went on to be used for making suspension bridge cables, helmets, brake pads, skis, and camping gear.
#17 Rachel Zimmerman: The Blissymbol Printer
What is the Blissymbol Printer? It's a software program invented by a Canadian 12-year-old in the mid-1980s. Zimmerman's printer enables those with severe physical disabilities like cerebral palsy, to communicate.
The user records their thoughts by touching symbols on a page or board through the use of a special touch pad, the printer then translates the symbols into a written language.
Zimmerman's system started as a project for a school science fair, but ended up competing and winning a silver medal in a nationwide contest, as well as gaining her the YTV Television Youth Achievement Award.
The user records their thoughts by touching symbols on a page or board through the use of a special touch pad, the printer then translates the symbols into a written language.
Zimmerman's system started as a project for a school science fair, but ended up competing and winning a silver medal in a nationwide contest, as well as gaining her the YTV Television Youth Achievement Award.
#16 Bette Nesmith Graham: Liquid Paper
The inventor of "Liquid Paper" or as we may know it, "White-Out" was Betty Nesmith Graham.
Graham got an idea she'd seen done by sign painters, which was to add another layer of paint to cover-up mistakes. She used a kitchen blender to mix-up her first batch of substance to cover-up over mistakes made on paper at work. After much experimenting and then being fired for spending so much time distributing her product as a trial, she received a patent in 1958. Wow!
Graham got an idea she'd seen done by sign painters, which was to add another layer of paint to cover-up mistakes. She used a kitchen blender to mix-up her first batch of substance to cover-up over mistakes made on paper at work. After much experimenting and then being fired for spending so much time distributing her product as a trial, she received a patent in 1958. Wow!
#15 Alice H. Parker: The Gas Heating Furnance
Parker was an African-American inventor who in 1919, filed the first U.S. patent for the precursor to a central heating system. The system was able to regulate the temperature of a building and carry heat from room to room.
The drawings included for the patent show a heating furnace powered by gas. An entire house required several heating units, each controlled by individual hot air ducts. The ducts directed heat to different parts of a building structure.
Many people now no longer needed to chop or buy wood and coal to stay warm. There's not much more known about Parker's life, but her invention of the heating furnace has revolutionized how we live today.
The drawings included for the patent show a heating furnace powered by gas. An entire house required several heating units, each controlled by individual hot air ducts. The ducts directed heat to different parts of a building structure.
Many people now no longer needed to chop or buy wood and coal to stay warm. There's not much more known about Parker's life, but her invention of the heating furnace has revolutionized how we live today.
#14 Sarah E. Goode: The Foldaway Bed
Goode was the first African-American woman to be granted a U.S. patent in 1885 for the invention of the Foldaway Bed! The bed could be tucked-up into a cabinet while it wasn’t in use. It made an attractive piece of furniture that could also be used as a roll top desk or a stationary shelf, in fact Goode was likely aware of design as she owned and ran a Chicago furniture store.
Born around 1800, bibliographies speculate that Goode was born a U.S. slave and emancipated after the Civil War. After the invention of the Foldaway Bed, her life records are sparse, but what we do know is that many versions of her original bed design are still made today.
Born around 1800, bibliographies speculate that Goode was born a U.S. slave and emancipated after the Civil War. After the invention of the Foldaway Bed, her life records are sparse, but what we do know is that many versions of her original bed design are still made today.
#13 Martha Coston: Colored Signal Flares
When her husband died suddenly in 1847, Martha Coston discovered the concept for colored flares in her husband's notebooks. She spent 10 years working with scientists and military officers to figure out how to make a flare that would be long-lasting but easy to use.
On a family outing while viewing a firework display, she was inspired to incorporate pyrotechnics into the design. The results turned out to be what we today know as the red, white, and green "Pyrotechnic Night Signal" system.
The U.S. Navy bought the rights to the signals from her, but it's said that she was only paid a fraction of what was owed. Her system was also adopted by the governments of France, Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Haiti.
On a family outing while viewing a firework display, she was inspired to incorporate pyrotechnics into the design. The results turned out to be what we today know as the red, white, and green "Pyrotechnic Night Signal" system.
The U.S. Navy bought the rights to the signals from her, but it's said that she was only paid a fraction of what was owed. Her system was also adopted by the governments of France, Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Haiti.
12 Dr. Ellen Ochoa: Optical Analysis Systems
Ellen Ochoa was the first Hispanic female astronaut, and is also a research scientist for NASA. Her invention patented in 1987, can be used for quality control in the manufacturing of various intricate parts. Ochoa later patented an optical system which can be used to robotically manufacture goods or in robotic guiding systems. She's received 3 patents, the most recent one in 1990. In addition to being an inventor, Dr. Ochoa is a veteran of three space flights.
#11 Dr. Maria Telkes: Home Solar Heating System
The biophysicist who invented the first home solar heating system grew up in Hungary and moved to the U.S. in 1925. Telkes became an American citizen and joined Westinghouse Electric as a research engineer in the area of energy conversion, in this case, converting heat energy into electric energy.
#10 Patricia Bath, M.D.: Laser Cataract Surgery Device
She's the first African-American female doctor to patent in 1988, a new method of removing cataracts. The medical laser instrument made the procedure more accurate and is termed the cataract Laserphacoprobe. Dr. Bath was also the first Black Female Surgeon appointed to UCLA in 1975. As a laser scientist and inventor, she has 5 patents on the laser cataract surgery device covering the United States, Canada, Japan, and Europe.
#9 Ann Moore: The Snugli® Baby Carrier
As a Peace Corps nurse during the 1960s in West Africa, Moore was inspired to create the Snugli®, as well as other kinds of specialized carrying cases. She'd seen African mothers carry their babies in fabric slings tied securely on their backs and she thought to try the same. But her baby daughter kept slipping. After much experimentation with a backpack, she modified and refined the design until it worked.
#8 Lyda Newman: Improved Hairbrush
While Newman was not the original inventor of the hair brush, her improvements to the brush made her a significant contributor to its evolution. She was among many who played a pivotal role in the development of hair-care products during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
#7 Patsy Sherman: Scotchgard™ Stain Repellent
Sherman's role in the invention of Scotchgard™ was a "happy mistake". As a research chemist with 3M in 1953, a lab mishap with fluorochemicals lead her to a new discovery. An assistant accidentally dropped a bottle of synthetic latex that Sherman had made, it splashed onto the assistant's white canvas tennis shoes. The substance did not change the look of the shoes, and importantly, it couldn't be washed away by any solvents, and it repelled water, oil and other liquids.
#6 Marion Donovan: Disposable Diapers
Debuting at Saks Fifth Avenue in 1949, was Donovan's first successful invention called "Boaters." It was a waterproof baby diaper cover that prevented diaper rash. Prior to this time she couldn't get manufacturers to work with "Boaters", so she struck out on her own. This inventive spirit led her to create the disposable diapers, Pampers® in 1961.
#5 Ruth Wakefield: Toll House Chocolate Cookies
While making a batch of cookies that required melted chocolate for her guest, she found she'd run out of baker's chocolate. She conveniently substituted the recipe with a crushed Nestles chocolate bar, the pieces of chocolate held their shape and became an accidental hit!
#4 Barbara Askins: New Film Development
NASA chemist Barbara Askins' invention of film development involved the use of
radioactive materials to enhance negatives. It could also be used to enhance images even after the pictures were developed!
radioactive materials to enhance negatives. It could also be used to enhance images even after the pictures were developed!
#3 Theora Stephens: Curling Hair Iron
The African-American hair dresser and technician, Theora Stephens patented the curling iron in 1980. You may be wondering why this date is so late, considering the hair styling tool has been used since early Greek civilization?
Many prominent individual’s who made their contributions in inventing beatification tools for different purposes have been involved with the evolving curling iron. Before electricity it needed to be heated in a fire and that posed a real challenge to control. By patenting it Stephen is credited for bestowing a special status to the historical curling iron.
Many prominent individual’s who made their contributions in inventing beatification tools for different purposes have been involved with the evolving curling iron. Before electricity it needed to be heated in a fire and that posed a real challenge to control. By patenting it Stephen is credited for bestowing a special status to the historical curling iron.
#2 Marjorie Joyner: Permanent Hair-Wave Machine.
Joyner invented the device that allowed a hairdo to stay set for days. She also created a cap that made it safer and more comfortable to use. As the granddaughter of slaves, Joyner became the first African-American graduate of a Chicago beauty school, she later opened her own salon in 1916.
#1 Sara Blakely: Spanx Undergarment
The American Dream still exists with today's youngest self-made female billionaire. She's the inventor who helps women slim down with the popular elastic underpants, Spanx. Featured on the cover, and interviewed by Forbes' 2012 annual billionaire issue, Blakely joins the elite group of "self-made" mega-rich women, that includes Oprah Winfrey and Meg Whiteman.
When creating Spanx, Blakey took $5,000 in savings and built it into a $500 million dollar-a-company! She has no outside investors and owns 100% of her company. Additionally she's never spent a penny on advertising! Spanx was developed to be similar to a firm fitting pantyhose without the feet, it's light, smooth and yet like a controlling "second skin". Revolutionary!
When creating Spanx, Blakey took $5,000 in savings and built it into a $500 million dollar-a-company! She has no outside investors and owns 100% of her company. Additionally she's never spent a penny on advertising! Spanx was developed to be similar to a firm fitting pantyhose without the feet, it's light, smooth and yet like a controlling "second skin". Revolutionary!
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