This is an excerpt of The Daring Book for Girls by Andrea J. Buchanan and Miriam Peskowitz, as part of Neatorama's review (and giveaway contest) for the book. Even though it’s said that "necessity is the mother of invention," women's contribution to inventing and science have been, in the past, often overlooked. It's likely women have been using their creativity and intelligence to engineer new ideas and products since the beginning of human experience, but nobody really kept track of such things until a few years ago. Below we've assembled some of our favorite daring women inventors, scientists, and doctors - from Nobel Prize winners to crafters of practical devices, from women who revolutionized the way diapers were changed to women whose revolutionary ideas changed the world. 1715
Sybilla Masters became the first American women inventor in recorded history, though in accordance with the laws of the time, her patent for "Cleansing Curing and Refining of Indian Corn Growing in the Plantations" was issued in her husband Thomas' name by the British courts. Her husband was issued a second patent for another of her inventions, entitled "Working and Weaving in a New Method, Palmetta Chip and Straw for Hats and Bonnets and other Improvements of that Ware." 1870
Martha Knight patents a machine to produce flat-bottomed paper bags. She also becomes the first woman in the United States to fight and win a patent suit, when she defended her patent against a man who had stolen her design and filed for his own patent on it. He claimed a woman couldn't possibly have the mechanical knowledge needed to invent such a complex machine, but Knight was able to back up her claim. After her success, she went on to develop and patent several other machines, including rotary machines and automatic tools. 1885
Sarah E. Goode, born a slave in 1850, obtains the first patent by an African American woman inventor for her folding cabinet bed, a space-saver that when folded up could be used as a desk, complete with compartments for stationery and writing supplies. 1889
Josephine Garis Cochran, of Shelbyville, Illinois, invents the first working automatic dishwasher. Her invention was first shown at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago, Illinois, and eventually went on to become associated with the KitchenAid company. 1903
Mary Anderson, of Alabama, invents the windshield wiper. Patented in 1905, windshield wipers became standard equipment on cars a decade later. Scientist Marie Curie is awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for her discovery of the radioactive elements radium and polonium. She is awarded the Nobel Price for Chemistry in 1911, making her the first person to win two Nobel prizes. 1914
Mary Phelps Jacob invents the modern bra. She was inspired to fashion a comfortable upper-body undergarment after becoming fed up with restrictive corsets. Her brassiere, made from two silk handkerchiefs and a ribbon, became so popular that after she patented the invention, she went on to sell it to the Warner Corset Company. 1941
The actress Hedy Lamarr invents (along with George Anthiel) a "Secret Communications System" to help combat the Nazi in World War II. 1950
Marion Donovan invents the disposable diaper. When established manufacturers show little interest in this invention, she starts her own company, Donovan Enterprises, which she sells along with her diaper patent to Keko Corporation in 1951 for one million dollars. 1951
Bette Nesmith invents Liquid Paper, a quick-drying white liquid painted onto paper to correct mistakes. She was a secretary in Texas when she hit upon her invention, which became so successful it grew into the Liquid Paper Company. (Fun fact: Her son, Michael Nesmith, grew up to be a member of the 1960s rock group the Monkees.) 1952
Mathematician and U.S. naval officer Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper invents the computer compiler, which revolutionized computer programming. She and her team also developed the first user-friendly business computer programming language, COBOL (Common Business-Oriented Language). 1964
Chemist Stephanie Louise Kwolek invents Kevlar, a polymer fiber that is five times stronger than the same weight of steel and is now used in bulletproof vests, helmets, trampolines, tennis rackets, tires, and many other common objects. 1983
Barbara McClintock, an American scientist and cytogeneticist, becomes the first woman to win, unshared, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, for her discovery of a genetic mechanism called transposition. 1984
Frances Gabe invents the self-cleaning house. Each room of the house has a 10-inch square "Cleaning/ Drying/ Heating/ Cooling" device on the ceiling. At the push of a button, the cleaning unit sends a powerful spray of soapy water around the room and then rinses and blow-dries everything. Each room has a sloped floor to aid the water drainage, and all valuable objects and other things that should not get wet are stored under glass. The house, in the woods of Oregon, also has self-cleaning sinks, bathtubs, and toilets; a cupboard that doubles as a dishwasher; and closets that can clean and dry the clothes hung inside them. 1993
Ellen Ochoa becomes the first Hispanic female astronaut in space. The veteran of three space flights, who has logged over 719 hours in space, is also an electrical engineer with patents on high-tech optical recognition systems and optical systems for spacecraft automation. |
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ada_Lovelace
Seriously, I hope the girlie book is as nicely done as the one the Iggulden brothers did for boys. Given the different set of authors, apparently the publishers and not the Igguldens own the intellectual property to the concept, design, &c.... it looks to pretty much a female version in exactly the same mold (not a bad thing, but interesting). Considering how good their book is (I bought the UK version before a US one was even out ... it's for my infant son to have someday and I couldn't wait), I was a little surprised they weren't involved in the girlie one as well (are they behind the scenes?). Whose idea was the original? Did the publisher hire the Iggulden brothers or did they write it first and shop for a publisher?
The publisher and authors acknowledge the inspiration of The Dangerous Book for Boys for the concept and design for this book and are grateful to Conn and Hal Iggulden for their permission.
You know there are many, many non-American woman scientists. Perhaps your headline should have been, "A Short History of U.S Women Inventors and Scientists".
Women are women regardless ..... why is it when I read this stuff I dont dont say "Where did those deer under the trampoline come from?" Why doesnt it say "Tanish deer under the trampoline made in Taiwan with springs manufactured in Idaho and frame put together in Sidney" instead of "Deer under the trampoline"
HOLY COW get over yourself..everything doesnt have to be PC and everything is NOT offensive..
sheesh
Marie Curie born in Warsaw, Poland.
Not American.
Hedy Lamarr born Vienna Austria.
Not America.
Sybilla Masters was an American colonist yes, but, born in England.
Methinks thou speaks to quickly. Check your facts.
Neatorama did just right.
As someone working in the sciences, I'm always glad to see something come out that will inspire anyone to go into science. Still, as for daring... I don't know if I see it. In the absence of a truly oppressive milieu, what is there to 'dare' against other than self challenge or personally imposed limitations? While there still are a few hold out of the "old boys club" in Science, to paraphase the Simpsons "I don't like it, but they'll be dead soon, so it's ok."
I'll try to remember that Neatorama has international readers - but the bulk of the blog's audience remains from the US.
1. Thanks for the answer on the tie-in to the Iggulden boy's book. It looks like they gave permission, probably after a lot of £ changed hands.
2. The *version* of the book being promoted, is the US edition. There is also at least a UK version as well & maybe more. If it is like the Iggulden "DBfB", the heroes listed are biased toward the target country. Nothing wrong with this -- it's a fine idea for the young readers to read about heroes they can more easily personally identify with. Some, like Marie Curie, are big enough "stars" that they will be in EVERY edition of course...
There's a nice book with vignettes from Math history that features lots of women. My blog has a review of the book:
http://wildaboutmath.com/2007/11/14/math-history-made-fun/