If you were asked for the names of great inventors, you’d probably come up with names such as Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison, and Henry Ford. But what about Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson or Grace Hopper. You might not recognize their names right away, but you’ve definitely used their inventions.
Keep reading to discover some of the world’s greatest inventions that were brought to us by women.Such is the case of Scotchgard. While working in the 3M factory, Patsy Sherman accidentally dropped fluorochemical rubber on an assistant’s shoe. They soon realized that it not only didn’t damage the shoe, but it was water repellent, as well. Thanks to that mistake, we now have Scotchgard.
Not only is Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson a brilliant theoretical physicist, but she’s also the first African American woman to earn a Ph.D.
from MIT. Dr Shirley Ann Jackson can also claim responsibility for fiber optic cables, solar cells, and the portable fax.
As a secretary, Graham often made mistakes that needed to be corrected. Using white paint, she was able to hide any error she made.
After spending a few years making the formula perfect, she patented the cover-up in 1958, calling it Liquid Paper. She later sold the patent to the Gillette Corporation in 1979, for $47.5 million.
In 1887, Connelly patented the very first fire escape.
Without even realizing it, she created something that would save countless lives over the years.
Puerto Rican scientist and inventor, Olga .D Gonzalez-Sanabria, spent the 80’s developing a nickel-hydrogen battery that had a longer cycle life than anything else on the market at that time.
Her batteries actually helped power the International Space Station.
Physicist, Dr. Maria Telkes was working on solar power technologies in 1947.
Alongside architect Eleanor Raymond, Telkes invented a thermoelectric power generator that was used to power the Dover House. The house was able to run off of solar power for three years before the system failed.
Josephine wanted to create a machine that allowed her employees to wash dishes at a much faster rate, without the risk of breaking anything.
In 1917, Josephine patented the first dishwasher, which led her to open her very own factory soon after.
You can find her magic material in bullet proof vests and other types of body armor.
Kevlar, also found in cell phones and airplanes, is now used all over the world in a multitude of different products.
Mary Phelps Jacob was getting ready for a ball, and as she put on her corset, she realized it was poking out in the front of her gown.
Obviously not wanting to walk into a ball looking like that, she asked her maid to bring her two handkerchiefs and a ribbon, creating the first bra. Jacob was able to patent her bra in 1914.
Tired of dealing with the frigid temperatures, Wilcox decided to do something about it.
In 1893, Wilcox invented the first heater to be used in cars. You really can’t thank her enough for that one.
Realizing that there needed to be life rafts that were much safer than what was available, Maria Beasley decided to take things into her own hands.
In 1882, she patented a better life raft that would save lives, instead of endangering them.
Daughter of Lord Byron, Ada-King Noel, was an incredible mathematician.
Alongside Charles Babbage, she worked on the analytical engine at the University of London. Throughout the course of her work, Noel discovered a way to program the machine using mathematical algorithms.
In fact, during World War II she invented a radio guidance system, with fellow inventor/composer George Antheil.
The radio guidance system was designed to prevent torpedoes from going off course, but due to technical difficulties, the system wasn’t used until 1962.
In 1919, Parker invented a gas-powered central heating system.
Unfortunately, her design was never used, but it was the inspiration behind the heating and cooling systems that we use today.
In 1813, she made her first prototype.
By attaching a saw blade to a spinning wheel, she invented the very first circular saw. Not only did she make it much easier to use a saw, but Babbitt made it a bit safer too.
In 1903, Anderson was visiting New York when she was taken aback by the actions of her driver. She noticed that in order for him to remove the snow from the windshield, he had to open the window and remove it with his bare hands.
This simply wouldn’t do. It wasn’t too long before Anderson invented the windshield wiper. Sadly, companies didn’t believe in her idea and she didn’t make any money from it.
She wrote the program that turned written language into computer code.
She came up with the terms “bug” and “debugging,” and she was also responsible for being a part of the development of one of the first modern programming languages, known as COBOL.
While working at a paper bag factory in 1867, Margaret noticed that the women had to glue the bottoms of paper bags together by hand.
She couldn’t believe how time-consuming and inconvenient this was, so she created a machine that automatically made flat-bottomed paper bags.
Elizabeth Magie wanted to expose the problems behind capitalism, so she created the board game we all know and love.
Magie’s original game was called Landlord’s Game and it was patented in 1924. But the Parker Brothers bought the patent in 1935, and changed the game’s name to Monopoly.
In 1946, she used a shower curtain to create a waterproof diaper cover.
In 1949, she patented her invention, but later sold it to the Keko Corporation for $1 million. You’ve made a lot of moms happy, Marion Donovan.