There are many inventions that have changed the world and made our everyday lives a lot easier.
Here are just some of them and they were all invented by women:
Refrigerator
Next time you grab a bite from the fridge, you have Florence Parpart to thank. She invented the modern electric refrigerator in 1914. Not satisfied with this brilliant appliance, she also patented a much improved version of the street cleaning machine in 1900.
Fire Escape
Anna Connelly’s invention in 1887 has been instrumental in saving many lives. We can all be thankful to her for the fire escape.
Car Heater
Next time you take a trip in the car you can thank Margaret Wilcox for the fact that you’re nice and warm. She invented the car heater in 1893.
Life raft
Travelling by sea was also made that much safer when Maria Beasley came up with the idea of the life raft in 1882.
Solar Energy
Dr Maria Telkes and Eleanor Raymond put their heads together in 1947 and built the first home that was heated using solar energy. It was called Solar One.
Medical Syringe
1899 saw the invention of the medical syringe by Letitia Geer. Her brainchild could be used with just one hand.
Computer Programmer
With a scientist for a mother and Lord Byron for a father, Ada Lovelace was always going places. She is often credited with being the first computer programmer. A whizz at maths from a young age, she had more than a hand in the creation of an “analytic engine” (to you and I a kind of olde-worlde computer). It should be pointed out though that she did have help, in the form of the University of London’s Charles Babbage. Together they developed methods of programming the machine with mathematical algorithms.
Dishwasher
Josephine Cochrane had the nerve to show up at meetings without a male to escort her when she was marketing her brilliant product in 1887. That invention was the dishwasher. She went on to open her own factory too.
CCTV
Forming the foundations for modern CCTV, Marie Van Brittan Brown patented her closed-circuit home security system in 1969 with her husband Albert Brown.
Central Heating
Acting as the inspiration for our modern-day central heating systems, Alice Parker was the first to come up with the concept of using natural gas as a means of generating heat in the home. Although her specific design was never constructed, it formed the basis for the systems we have come to take for granted today.
Saw
Next time you pick up your super manly circular saw you can thank Tabitha Babbitt for making your job or DIY tasks so much quicker and easier. The tool maker and inventor are often credited with the realisation that a rounded saw would be much more efficient than its earlier predecessors and so it took its place in the sawmills. Oh, and from saw teeth to false teeth, you can thank her for those too! As she was a Shaker, Babbitt did not patent her inventions, allowing them to be freely used by others.
Windscreen Wipers
Mary Anderson invented windscreen wipers in 1903. They were met with some scepticism though, as they were manually controlled but they were later improved upon by another woman, Charlotte Bridgwood in 1917 when she invented an automatic version but these too were not initially popular. However, when Cadillac became the first manufacturer to have them installed as standard on all their models, other companies were quick to follow suit.
