8 Female Inventors Who Changed The Course Of History

You might have heard of Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell or Leonardo da Vinci, but what about Mary Anderson, Ann Tsukamoto or Josephine Cochrane? They are the female inventors behind everyday objects and scientific innovations. Here are ten inventions we wouldn’t have if it weren’t for ground-breaking women.

1. Computer algorithm by Augusta Ada King in 1853 Augusta Ada King was an English mathematician who is credited with being the first computer programmer. She is known for writing the first algorithm for the machine, inventing the subroutine and recognizing the importance of looping.

2. Life raft by Maria E. Beasley in 1882 Maria E. Beasley patented her first life raft design in 1880 in both the United States and Great Britain and received a second U.S. patent for an updated version of the raft in 1882. In addition to the life raft, she also invented a foot warmer, a stream generator and the barrel-hooping machine, receiving a total of 15 U.S. patents and at least two in Great Britain during her life.

Unlike the flat life rafts of the 1870s, Beasley’s raft had guard rails to help keep people inside during emergencies when they had to abandon ship.

3. Dishwasher by Josephine Cochrane in 1887 Cochrane invented the first practical dishwasher. She designed the first model in the shed behind her house in Shelbyville, Illinois. Her dishwasher was the first to use water pressure instead of scrubbers to clean the dishes. She received a patent on December 28, 1886.

4. Car heater by Margaret A. Wilcox in 1893 Wilcox was a gifted inventor who was always looking to make life easier with her cool inventions. Car heater invention in 1893 acted as “two shots in an arrow”! It made driving easy in foggy and frigid weather by keeping windows mist free and also maintained car interior at a chosen temperature according to our need making the driving experience more comfortable and safer.

5. Medical syringe by Letitia Mumford Geer in 1899 In 1899 Letitia Mumford Geer was granted a patent for a medical syringe that the user can operate one-handed. Through this invention, Letitia changed the world and its concept of medical treatment. Even modern syringes are inspired by Letitia’s idea.

6. Windshield wipers by Mary Anderson in 1903 On November 10, 1903, Anderson was granted her first patent for an automatic car window cleaning device controlled from inside the car, called the windshield wiper. Windshield wipers are like thumbs. One never appreciates them until they are gone.

7. Modern electric fridge by Florence Parpart in 1914 Florence Parpart won her first patent in 1900 for her improved street sweeper and its manufacturing process for widespread use. In 1914, she won another patent for the modern refrigerator, making the icebox obsolete for those who had access to electricity.

8. Chocolate chip cookies by Ruth Wakefield in 1938 The original recipe was created in 1938 by Ruth Wakefield who famously ran the Toll House restaurant in Whitman, Massachusetts. The delicious mix of crispy cookie and melted chocolate chunks first appeared in her cookbook “Tried and True,” and was intended to accompany ice cream.