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It’s a myth we’ve all heard before: only men built the foundations of modern science and inventions. The next time someone tries to tell you this, remember the names of these incredible women listed below!
Ada Lovelace: 1st computer programmer
- Wrote the first algorithm intended to be processed by a machine
Cecilia Payne: 1st person to earn a Ph.D. in astronomy from Harvard
- First to discover that stars are composed of helium and hydrogen
- First woman to head a department at Harvard
Grace Hopper: American computer science pioneer
- Hopper invented the first compiler for a computer programming language (creates code more easily)
- Programmed IBM’s Mark I computer, property of Harvard University
- Oversaw development of COBOL, one of the first modern programming languages
Rosalind Franklin: first to discover the DNA double helix structure
- Franklin independently solved how DNA is structured through X-ray diffraction images
- Without her consent, the findings were shown to Watson and Crick and they published her findings before she could take total credit for the discovery
Stephanie Kwolek: inventor of Kevlar (material of bullet proof vests)
- Kwolek worked with polymers and created a fiber that is ounce-for-ounce strong as steel, and is still used for important modern day items, such as bullet proof vests
Elizabeth Hazen & Rachel Brown: created 1st non-toxic drug for fungal infection
- These two women invented Nystatin, the first safe antifungal medication for humans
- Is still used today under a variety of brand names, and is also used for saving infected trees and artwork damaged by mold
Florence Nightingale: founder of modern Nursing
- Founded the first secular nursing school in the world
- Improved healthcare for British society
Josephine Cochrane: inventor of the first dishwasher
- Brought her invention to the 1893 Chicago World Fair and won highest prize for “best mechanical construction, durability, and adaption to its line of work”
- She later started a manufacturing company that was adopted by KitchenAid, and later Whirlpool
Maud Menten: wrote math formulas to describe enzyme kinetics
- Menten was also the first person to conduct an electrophoretic separation of proteins
Margaret Knight: American inventor, holder of 87 U.S. patents
- Created the stop-motion device to bring industrial machines to a halt, thus increasing safety in factories
- Also invented an industrial machine that folds and glues paper bags with a flat bottom. However, when she was building the model, Charles Annan tried to steal her design and patented the machine. She was able to file an interference lawsuit and was awarded the patent.
*Photos-Wikimedia Creative Commons