This week marks the beginning of Women’s History Month. March is a time to recognizse the incredible work of the women who have come before us, and give credit where credit is due. Items and inventions that we are constantly in contact with in our day to day lives may not exist were it not for the contributions of women. Even with the odds stacked against them, women have pioneered countless inventions that have changed the course of human existence, revolutionizing our lives in both mundane and extraordinary ways. Here are 11 inventions you might not have known women forefronted.
- Wifi, GPS, and Bluetooth
Hedy Lamarr, better known as a popular film star at the time, was actually an avid tinkerer and inventor. During World War II, Lamarr and a partner developed frequency hopping technology for the purpose of guiding missiles. This genius technology eventually was the basis for wireless communication technology as we know it, including Wifi, GPS, and Bluetooth.
- Automatic Dishwashers
Dishwashers as we know them today can be credited to Josephine Cochrane. While there were previous patents for dishwashing machines, they used scrubbing technology, weren’t very effective, and had to be hand-turned. Cochrane revolutionized the process when she substituted the use of scrubbers with water pressure, the method that continues to be used today. Cochrane opened her own production factory to produce her invention and sell it commercially. The factory she started is known today as KitchenAid.
- Home Security Systems
In 1969, Marie Van Britton Brown invented and patented the first home security system, with features still found in the modern systems we use today. She could lock and unlock the door remotely, alert the police with the click of a button, and talk to anyone outside her door with a two way microphone system. In addition to being a genius inventor, she also worked as a nurse.
- Car Heaters
Margaret A. Wilcox patented the first automobile heating system, taking advantage of heat already produced by the engine to warm the inside of the vehicle. Wilcox had another invention as well, a combined dish and clothes washer that didn’t quite catch on in the same way.
- Fire Escapes
We have Anna Connely to thank for the safety feature now so prominent in our cities. Her external staircase didn’t require buildings to be remodeled for installation, making them cost effective and accessible. Her invention is also said to have paved the way for the first building codes in New York City.
- Kevlar
Kevlar is a heat resistant, high strength, synthetic fiber created by chemist Stephanie Kwolek. Five times stronger than steel, this material is found today in bullet proof vests, and has also been used in place of asbestos. Kwolek created other synthetic fibers as well, but kevlar is the one she is known most for.
- Paper Bag Machine
Margaret Knight began her inventing career early. At the age of 12 she invented a safety device for cotton mills that is still in use today. However, her most well known achievement was creating a machine that could produce flat bottom paper bags. Her design was stolen by a machinist named Charles Annan who attempted to patent it first. Fortunately, after a long legal battle, Knight was awarded the patent she had worked so hard for.
- Beer
Beer has been around for thousands of years, and ancient findings indicate that women are the ones to thank for this beverage that has truly stood the test of time. There was even a sumerian goddess of beer, Ninkasi. Brewing beer was also primarily women’s work. If you’re wondering how our cultural understanding of beer came to be so male centric despite its history, check out this BBC video.
- Coffee Filter
Such a simple invention and yet the coffee filter remains pervasive in use to this day. We can thank Melitta Bentz for the pour over coffee system for being the first to solve the problem of grounds in her coffee by simply placing it in a filter and pouring water over it. While today we might think of it as so simple, Bentz’s coffee filters were revolutionary. Coffee had been a European staple for centuries before Bentz got her patent in 1908.
If you’re interested in discovering more incredible contributions by women, check out the links below!
https://www.womenshistory.org/exhibits/inventive-women
https://www.history.com/news/women-inventions
https://www.dosomething.org/us/articles/11-inventions-you-didnt-know-women-had-a-hand-in-making
https://homepage.physics.uiowa.edu/~rmerlino/Inventions%20by%20Women.pdf
https://www.ipoi.gov.ie/en/understanding-ip/student-zone/women-inventors/