When we talk of inventors, the first people who come to mind are Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison. Naturally, most people assume that with the exception of Madame Marie Curie, most big inventors were all men. But many women have also contributed groundbreaking ideas to science, technology, and our daily lives. Here are 16 female inventors whose innovations, both large and small, have improved our world in various ways.
1. Adeline Dutton Train Whitney (1824 – 1906)
Invention: Alphabet Blocks
Year: 1882
Adeline Dutton Train Whitney was an American poet and prolific writer who published more than 20 books for girls. Her books expressed a traditional view of women's roles and were popular throughout her life.
Adeline was educated at private schools; she studied at the school of George B. Emerson in Boston from 1837 to 1842. Her cousin George Francis Train was a successful entrepreneur, a founder of the Union Pacific Railroad, and an adventurer, making three round-the-world trips.
Adeline Whitney started writing seriously in her thirties, after her children started school. She first published poems and stories in local journals. In 1859, she published her first book,
Mother Goose for Grown Folks. She wrote mainly for young girls and supported conservative values. She promoted the message of the era that a woman's happiest place is in the home, the source of all goodness. As this was popular among parents, her books sold extremely well throughout her life.
Whitney privately opposed women's suffrage, and took no part in public life (in accordance with the traditional approach for women expressed in her books.) She patented a set of alphabet blocks for children.
2. Virginia Apgar (1909 – 1974)
Invention: Apgar tests, which evaluate a baby’s health upon birth
Year: 1952
Virginia Apgar was an American obstetrical anesthesiologist. She was a leader in the fields of anesthesiology and teratology, and introduced obstetrical considerations to the established field of neonatology.
In 1949, Apgar became the first woman to become a full professor at CUCPS, where she remained until 1959. During this time, she also did clinical and research work at the affiliated Sloane Hospital for Women. In 1953, she introduced the first test, called the Apgar score, to assess the health of newborn babies. The Apgar score is calculated based on an infant's condition at one minute and five minutes after birth. If the five-minute Apgar score is low, additional scores may be assigned every five minutes.
3. Ruth Wakefield (1903 – 1977)
Invention: Chocolate-chip cookies
Year: 1930
Chocolate chip cookies are a favorite treat for people of all ages, but without the famous woman inventor Ruth Wakefield, the world might never have tasted those sweet delights. Born in 1905, Wakefield grew up to be a dietician and food lecturer after graduating from the Framingham State Normal School Department of Household Arts in 1924. Along with her husband Kenneth, she bought a tourist lodge named the Toll House Inn, where she prepared the recipes for meals that were served to guests.
In 1930, Wakefield was mixing a batch of cookies for her roadside inn guests when she discovered that she was out of baker's chocolate. She substituted broken pieces of Nestle's semi-sweet chocolate, expecting it to melt and absorb into the dough to create chocolate cookies. That didn't happen, but the surprising result helped to make Ruth Wakefield one of the 20th century's most famous women inventors. When she removed the pan from the oven, Wakefield realized that she had accidentally invented "chocolate chip cookies."
4. Tabitha Babbitt (1779 – about 1853)
Invention: Circular saw
Year: 1813
When one thinks of construction and woodworking they imagine big burly men with hammers and saws, sweating while they work in the hot sun. In the early 1800’s it required two men to work a saw, going back and forth, exerting a lot of energy and using lots of muscle. But the fascinating thing is, thanks to a woman, this process has become much simpler. A Shaker woman by the name of Tabitha Babbitt created the circular saw in 1813. By making the saw circular, the teeth could always be cutting, unlike the straight saws of the time, that only cut on the pull, not the push motion.
5. Josephine Cochran (1839 – 1913)
Invention: Dishwasher
Year: 1886
Josephine Cochrane believed that if you want something done right you better do it yourself. But when it came time to doing the dishes, she really didn’t want to, so she invented a machine to wash them for her.
Josephine Cochran was born to Irene and John Garis in March of 1839. She joined a family of ingenuity and creative talents. For example, her father John used his skills as a civil engineer in Chicago during the 1850s. Furthermore, her great grandfather John Fitch invented the steamboat. Josephine's own pursuits as an inventor began after she married a businessman named William Cochran. She and William often enjoyed welcoming many guests into their Illinois home for formal dinners. Josephine began to notice chips in her beloved collection of china. The process of hand washing the china was beginning to take its toll on her valuable dishes. Josephine felt sure that there had to be a way of washing the dishes without damaging them. So, with the help of a mechanic friend she went to work in her backyard shed to develop a better process for cleaning dishes.
Josephine envisioned a process that used jets of hot water and soap to clean the dishes as opposed to hand scrubbing them. After they were cleaned, the dishes would need to be rinsed with hot water. In addition, a rack would be necessary to hold the dishes in place so that they would be cleaned in a safe and thorough fashion. Another type of dishwashing machine was patented in 1850, but it was operated with a hand crank. Josephine Cochran's dishwashing machine had a motor operating it. While creating her dishwashing machine, Josephine suffered the loss of her husband William. Unfortunately, she was also left with some debts to pay. Despite these challenges, Josephine finished the design of her invention and had it patented in 1886.
