Inventing Women!

"It makes sense that women invent so many products to make life easier, after all, we are the ones who buy and use them." - Heidi Richards

In celebrations of International Women's Day, I thought I'd share a list of inventions by women:


Many Battery container Nancy Perkins 1986
Beehive Thiphena Hornbrook 1861
Canister vacuum Nancy Perkins 1987
Car heater Margaret Wilcox 1893
Circular saw Tabitha Babbit 1812
Computer program Augusta Ada Byron 1842
Cooking stove Elizabeth Hawk 1867
Dam and reservoir construction Harriet Strong 1887
Direct and return mailing envelope Beulah Henry 1962
Dishwasher Josephine Cochran 1872
Drinking fountain device Laurene O'Donnell 1985
Electric hot water heater Ida Forbes 1917
Elevated railway Mary Walton 1881
Engine muffler El Dorado Jones 1917
Feedback control for data processing Erna Hoover 1971
Fire escape Anna Connelly 1887
Globes Ellen Fitz 1875
Grain storage bin Lizzie Dickelman 1920
Improved locomotive wheels Mary Jane Montgomery 1864
Improvement in dredging machines Emily Tassey 1876
Improvement in stone pavements Emily Gross 1877
Kevlar, a steel-like fiber used in radial tires, crash helmets, and bulletproof vests Stephanie Kwolek 1966
Life raft Maria Beaseley 1882
Liquid Paper® correction fluid Bette Nesmith Graham 1956
Locomotive chimney Mary Walton 1879
Medical syringe Letitia Geer 1899
Mop-wringer pail Eliza Wood 1889
Oil burner Amanda Jones 1880
Permanent wave for the hair Marjorie Joyner 1928
Portable screen summer house Nettie Rood 1882
Refrigerator Florence Parpart 1914
Rolling pin Catherine Deiner 1891
Rotary engine Margaret Knight 1904
Safety device for elevators Harriet Tracy 1892
Street cleaning machine Florence Parpart 1900
Submarine lamp and telescope Sara Mather 1870
Suspenders Laura Cooney 1896
Washing machine Margaret Colvin 1871
Windshield wiper Mary Anderson 1903
Zigzag sewing machine Helen Blanchard 1873

Thanks to my friend Leslie Freude who posted this on the RYZE Winning Women Network

And here's a few to add to the list (from Factmonster.com):

Blocks Adeline D. T. Whitney 1882
Apgar tests, which evaluate a baby’s health upon birth Virginia Apgar 1952
Chocolate-chip cookies Ruth Wakefield 1930
Disposable diaper Marion Donovan 1950
Ironing board Sarah Boone 1892
Paper-bag-making machine Margaret Knight 1871
Rotary engine Margaret Knight 1904
Scotchgard™ fabric protector Patsy O. Sherman 1956
Snugli® baby carrier Ann Moore 1965
Submarine lamp and telescope Sarah Mather 1845

Wishing everyone a wonderful International Woman's Day! Be sure to sign up for Virtual Woman's Day™ and join hundreds of women around the globe as we laugh, learn and listen together.

Warmest regards,

Heidi & Suzannah