10 Inventions Created By Women That Changed The World
We already know women are spectacular, but many people do not realize how many important inventions that women have created throughout history. While many of those women did not receive the patent or initial credit, we can now look back and recognize the many influential women whose inventions we still use today. This list does not encompass all of the inventions by women, nor is it in any way valuing one invention over another. It is merely a highlight of the creations by women throughout history.
1) In the late 18th century, Tabitha Babbitt was a Shaker in a community in Massachusetts. She noticed that the pit saw requiring two men, only yielded results when pushed forward and not back. Her creation of the circular saw changed that, but because of Shaker guidelines, she did not acquire a patent for the saw.
2) Chocolate chip cookies were created by Ruth Wakefield, who was a dietician and food lecturer at time. She was making drop cookies when she realized she ran out of baker’s chocolate, so she crumbled a Nestle bar into her cookies.
3) After several projects and a ton of research, Florence Parpart created the refrigerator, which also led to her invention of the electric refrigerator.
4) One would assume the dishwasher was created by someone who was tired of washing dishes, but no. Josephine Cochrane received a patent for the dishwasher in 1886, which she created so that her servants would no longer ruin her nice dishes.
5) As you’re driving through the rain with your wipers on, you can thank Mary Anderson, who received the patent for windshield wipers in 1903. Her creation came about after a trip to New York, when she noticed the tram driver had to stop to clear the snow from the windshield.
6) The favorite pastime game Monopoly was created by Elizabeth Magie in 1905. Originally named the Landlord’s game, the popular board game was sold to Parker Brothers.
7) Scotchgard was created by accident in 1953 by Patsy Sherman. While working on flurochemicals, a lab assistant spilled a mixture of Sherman’s synthetic latex. They were amazed to find that it cleaned stains and repelled certain liquids.
8) Ruth Handler created the toy that girls still play with today. Barbie became a big hit in her debut at the Toy Fair in 1959. Handler’s creation of the doll came after watching her daughter play with paper dolls. She wanted to create a three dimensional doll that girls could act out their dreams with.
9) Originally called the “Boater”, disposable diapers were created by Marion Donovan, a mom at the time who wanted to prevent her baby’s sheets and blankets from being soiled by a wet diaper. Unlike the rubber covers on the market, Donovan’s did not cause diaper rash or use safety pins.
10) While trying to create a cement additive to keep her sculptures from shattering, Patricia Billings invented Geobond, an indestructible, fireproof and non-toxic building material.
