How Women Inventors Changed Your Life

Can you picture a car without windshield wipers? Probably not. After all, every car today has these safety devices. They’re just one of the many useful items that were created by women inventors!  

Throughout history, women have devised brilliant innovations to solve problems. But it’s often been difficult for them to turn these ideas into reality. “Women haven’t always had equal opportunities to be inventors or received much recognition,” says Joyce Bedi. She worked as a senior historian at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. 

Until the late 19th century, women usually weren’t allowed to own property. That made it hard for them to get patents, or the legal rights to their inventions. Few colleges or jobs were open to women. Without formal training in science and engineering, women’s ideas for inventions often weren’t taken seriously.

Even so, many women overcame these obstacles to become inventors, says Bedi. Today we have better home security systems, easier-to-use trash cans, and much more because women refused to let their ideas be ignored. Read on to learn about some of the contributions made by female innovators. 

Can you picture a car without windshield wipers? Probably not. Today every car has these safety devices. Women inventors created many useful items, including windshield wipers! 

Women have found brilliant ways to solve problems throughout history. But often, it was difficult to turn these ideas into reality. “Women haven’t always had equal opportunities to be inventors or received much recognition,” says Joyce Bedi. She worked as a senior historian at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.

Until the late 19th century, women usually couldn’t own property. That made it hard to get patents, or the legal rights to their inventions. Few colleges or jobs were open to women. Most women didn’t have formal training in science and engineering. So their ideas for inventions often weren’t taken seriously.

But many women overcame these challenges to become inventors, says Bedi. They refused to let their ideas be ignored. That’s why we now have better home security systems, easier-to-use trash cans, and much more. Read on to learn about some inventions made by women. 

Born in England in 1815, Ada Lovelace was always passionate about mathematics. She was mentored by Charles Babbage, a professor who designed machines that could do mathematical calculations. In 1837, Babbage shared an idea for a new machine, called the Analytical Engine. Lovelace wrote a detailed plan describing how it could work: A person would input coded instructions that told the machine what operations to perform. Lovelace also provided examples a person could input and the results they’d get. This is widely considered the first computer program.

Ada Lovelace always loved mathematics. She was born in England in 1815. A professor named Charles Babbage was her mentor. He designed machines to do mathematical calculations. In 1837, Babbage shared an idea for a new machine. It was called the Analytical Engine. Lovelace wrote a detailed plan about how it could work. A person would input coded instructions. That would tell the machine what operations to perform. Lovelace also provided examples of the instructions and their results. This is widely considered the first computer program.

Jeanne Villepreux-Power was a French marine biologist. She studied ocean organisms, particularly nautiluses—octopus-like creatures that live inside spiral shells. In 1832, Villepreux-Power designed the world’s first glass aquarium so she could study these animals up close. Today Villepreux-Power’s aquariums can be found in scientific labs, classrooms, and homes.

Jeanne Villepreux-Power was a French marine biologist. She studied ocean organisms, especially nautiluses. These octopus-like creatures live inside spiral shells. Villepreux-Power wanted to study these animals up close. So in 1832, she designed the world’s first glass aquarium. Today Villepreux-Power’s aquariums are found in scientific labs, classrooms, and homes.

Lillian Gilbreth was a psychologist and engineer dedicated to making things more efficient. In the early 1900s, a person had to lift a trash can lid by hand to throw things away. There had to be a better way, decided Gilbreth. She designed a trash can with a hinged lid that could be opened by stepping on a pedal. That made throwing away trash easier and more hygienic, since people didn’t have to touch a potentially dirty garbage bin.

Lillian Gilbreth was a psychologist and engineer. She worked to make things more efficient. In the early 1900s, a person had to lift a trash can lid by hand to throw things away. This was a waste of time, decided Gilbreth. So she designed a trash can with a hinged lid. A person could step on a pedal to open it. That made it easier to throw trash away. This was also more hygienic, since people didn’t have to touch a possibly dirty garbage bin.

Lisa Gelobter is a computer scientist who contributed to several pioneering video and gaming technologies used by billions on the internet. One of her most notable projects was the creation of the software behind the GIF, a file showing a short animation. So the next time you text your friend a silly GIF, remember you have Gelobter to thank!

Lisa Gelobter is a computer scientist, and she worked on several groundbreaking video and gaming technologies. Billions of people use them on the internet. One of her most notable projects was the software behind the GIF. That’s file showing a short animation. So when you text your friend a silly GIF, you have Gelobter to thank!

In 1902, Mary Anderson noticed a streetcar operator in New York City constantly getting out of his vehicle to clean snow off its windshield. This inspired her to design a rubber-bladed wiper that could be controlled from inside a vehicle. But car companies thought her invention was unnecessary and distracting to drivers. It wasn’t until 1922, when driving had become common, that windshield wipers became a standard safety feature on all cars. By that time, Anderson’s patent had expired, so she didn’t profit from her invention.

In 1902, Mary Anderson noticed a streetcar operator in New York City. He kept getting out of his vehicle to clean snow off its windshield. This inspired her to design a rubber-bladed wiper. It could be controlled from inside a vehicle. But car companies weren’t interested. They thought her invention was unnecessary and distracting to drivers. By 1922, driving had become common. Then windshield wipers became a standard safety feature on all cars. By that time, Anderson’s patent had expired. So she didn’t profit from her invention.

Marie Van Brittan Brown was a nurse who lived in Queens, New York, in the 1960s. At the time, her neighborhood had a lot of crime. Brown was worried about her family’s safety. She worked with her husband, who was an electrician, to develop and patent a home security system. It had a camera and a microphone that allowed homeowners to see and hear who was at their front door. It also had an alarm. Her invention paved
the way for today’s home security systems.

Marie Van Brittan Brown was a nurse. She lived in Queens, New York, in the 1960s. At the time, her neighborhood had a lot of crime. Brown worried about her family’s safety. So she teamed up with her husband, who was an electrician. They developed and patented a home security system. It had a camera and a microphone, so homeowners could see and hear who was at their front door. It also had an alarm. Her invention paved the way for today’s home security systems.

n 1867, Margaret E. Knight was working at a paper bag company. Her job was to fold paper bags by hand—a time-consuming process. So she created a machine that could cut and fold bags with a flat, squared bottom. Her boss tried to claim the idea as his own. Knight took him to court and won the rights to her invention. She started her own paper bag company and continued to invent other industrial machines throughout her life.

In 1867, Margaret E. Knight was working at a paper bag company. Her job was to fold paper bags by hand. That took a lot of time. So she created a machine to do the job. It could cut and fold bags with a flat, squared bottom. Her boss tried to claim the idea as his. Knight took him to court and won the rights to her invention. She started her own paper bag company. For the rest of her life, she continued to invent other industrial machines.

Katharine Blodgett was a physicist who specialized in applying thin coatings to surfaces. In 1938, she developed a coating for glass that reduced the amount of light reflected off the material’s surface. The innovation, known as “invisible glass,” was almost totally see-through. Ninety-nine percent of the visible light humans see could pass through. Today Blodgett’s anti-reflective coatings are widely used in eyeglasses, windshields, and camera lenses.

Katharine Blodgett was a physicist. She specialized in applying thin coatings to surfaces. In 1938, she developed a coating for glass. Glass with her coating reflected less light from its surface. The invention was known as “invisible glass.” It was almost totally see-through. Ninety-nine percent of visible light could pass through. That’s the light humans can see. Today Blodgett’s anti-reflective coatings are widely used in eyeglasses, windshields, and camera lenses. 

Mary A. Delaney was inspired to make a new and improved dog leash after observing dog owners. She noticed they often had to pull on their dogs’ leashes to keep their pets from getting tangled around objects or in others’ way. So in 1908, Delaney designed and patented a retractable leash that people could easily adjust when walking their pups.

Mary A. Delaney got an idea for a new and improved dog leash after watching dog owners. Dogs could get tangled around objects or get in others’ way. To prevent this, dog owners often had to pull on their dogs’ leashes. So in 1908, Delaney designed and patented a retractable leash. People could easily adjust it when walking their pups.

Hedy Lamarr was a famous Hollywood movie star—who also had a knack for inventing. During World War II, she came up with an idea to prevent opposing forces from tracking or jamming the U.S. military’s radio signals. She and music composer George Antheil worked together to develop and patent a communication system that allowed radio signals to “hop” from one channel to another to avoid detection. This technology would become the basis for secure Wi-Fi used to wirelessly access the internet.

Hedy Lamarr was a famous Hollywood movie star. She was also good at inventing. During World War II, she came up with an idea to help the U.S. military. It would prevent opposing forces from tracking or jamming U.S. radio signals. She worked with music composer George Antheil to develop and patent a communication system. It allowed radio signals to “hop” from one channel to another to avoid detection. This technology would become the basis for secure Wi-Fi. It’s used to wirelessly access the internet.