Marion Donovan
Some famous women inventors, like Marion Donovan, drew inspiration from the everyday trials of motherhood. As a single mother of two in post-World War II Connecticut, Donovan quickly become frustrated by the thankless, repetitive task of changing her youngest child¡¯s soiled cloth diapers, bed sheets and clothing. The resourceful female inventor sat down at her sewing machine with a shower curtain and created a waterproof diaper cover.
Her invention was far superior to the uncomfortable, rash-inducing rubber baby pants that were already on the market. Her next project was a fully disposable diaper, for which she had to fashion a special type of paper that was not only strong and absorbent, but also kept water away from the babies skin.
Surprisingly, nearly every large manufacturer in the country rejected her idea as superfluous and impractical. It was not until nearly a decade later, in 1961, that Victor Mills drew upon Donovan¡¯s vision to create Pampers?.
Dr. Patricia Bath
A noted opthamologist and famous African American inventor, Dr. Patricia Bath pioneered the 1985 development of a specialized tool and procedure for the removal of cataracts. Her Laserphaco Probe and procedure improved cataract surgery by using lasers to vaporize cateracts painlessly. Previously, cataract surgery had been a difficult manual process involving a mechanical grinder.
Dr. Bath¡¯s lifelong dedication to the treatment and prevention of visual impairments has made it possible to restore the sight of many people suffering from cataracts. Because of her unwavering "Fight for the Right to Sight", Dr. Bath remains one of the most important and most famous African American inventors.
Dr. Betty Harris
African american inventor Betty Harris became interested in chemistry at a young age. As a research chemist at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, Dr. Harris quickly became an expert in the chemistry of explosives. She holds a patent for a spot test that identifies explosives in a field environment.
Recently, this famous black inventor has worked with the Girl Scouts to develop a chemistry badge that is similar to the chemistry merit badge for Boy Scouts.
Dr. Harris has received her state¡¯s Governor¡¯s Trailblazer Award for her notable achievements.
John Thompson
African American inventor John Thompson created the scripting language Lingo while working as a chief scientist for Macromedia?.
Lingo is a scripting language that helps render visuals in computer programs like Macromedia? Director. Additionally, Lingo has also been used to create flash and shockwave programs that are now prevalent in video games, Web design, animation and graphics.
Mary Anderson
Famous women inventors had many opportunities to shine with the invention of the automobile. One of those was Mary Anderson who invented a swinging arm-like device with a rubber blade that could be operated from the inside of the car to clean the windshield. Her invention was the first windshield wiper. By 1916, thirteen years after she received her patent, just about all new American cars were equipped with windshield wipers.
Rachel Zimmerman
In the mid-1980s a twelve-year old Canadian female inventor developed an invention that greatly helped people who have difficulties communicating.
For a school science fair project, Rachel Zimmerman created a software program called Blissymbols that allows those with severe physical disabilities, like cerebral palsy, to communicate. Her invention gained worldwide exposure and won several prestigious awards, including the silver medal at the World Exhibition of Achievement of Young Inventors.
Zimmerman went on to study physics in college and now works on tailoring NASA innovations to fit the needs of people with disabilities.
Young women inventors like Zimmerman prove that age is not a prerequisite for innovation.
Patsy Sherman
As chemist and female inventor Patsy Sherman can attest, invention is often triggered by an unexpected event.
While she and her colleague, Sam Smith, were working in the lab one day in 1953, an assistant dropped a bottle of synthetic latex that Sherman had made. The contents splashed onto the assistant¡¯s white canvas tennis shoes. The two chemists were fascinated to find that while the substance did not change the look of the shoes, it could not be washed away by any solvents. It also repelled water, oil and other liquids.
Sherman and Smith¡¯s joint research over the next few years led to the development of Scotchgard?, a versatile fabric stain repellent and material protector. Together, Patsy Sherman and Sam Smith obtained 13 patents related to fluorochemical polymers and polymerization processes.
Sherman was elected to the Minnesota Inventors Hall of Fame in 1983, and retired as one of the most famous female inventors of the 20th century.
Sarah Goode
Sarah Goode earned a prominent place among famous black inventors and famous women inventors by being the first black woman to own a patent in the United States. In 1885 she patented a folding cabinet bed.
Goode was one of the many African Americans to be freed from slavery at the end of the Civil War. She moved to Chicago and opened a furniture store. Her cabinet bed invention was designed with small Chicago apartments in mind.
The 10 Most Famous Inventions
The light bulb. Although we think of Thomas Edison as the inventor of the light bulb, the light bulb didn't begin or end with his contribution. The first patent for a light bulb was obtained by Henry Woodward and Matthew Evans. In 1879, Thomas Edison purchased the patent and improved on the light bulb with his invetion of a carbon filament. That filament lasted for 40 hours, but by the time Edison was done he had a filament that could last for 1200 hours. Later improvements in the light bulb gave us bulbs that don't go black and the tungsten filament.
The Printing Press
The printing press is credited with changing all of Western civilization after being invented by Johannes Gutenberg in the 15th Century. By making the Bible more widely available, this invention weakened the central authority of the state sponsored churches and led to the Reformation. Not many people realize that this famous invention was most likely invented several centuries earlier in China. Probably because Eastern languages contain significantly more characters than Western languages, the impact of movable type was not as great in China.
The Computer
Many invention ideas have contributed to the modern computer. As early as the 17th Century, scientists were building machines that could do basic mathematical equations. Today's computers can do everything from sending us to the moon to beating us at chess. Computers and computerized appliances have moved from being science fiction to being a necessity of modern life. They continue to be improved on and made more useful.
The Bicycle
Bicycles remain the most energy efficient mode of transportation available. There are currently over a billion bicycles at use in the world as children's toys, exercise equipment and means of travel. The technology that went into early bicycles was used as the basis for later innovations in the automobile and the airplane. Women's use of the bicycle in the late 19th Century led to the popularity of bloomers, the overall greater mobility of women and the women's movement.
The Airplane
In the 19th Century, most people would have considered it impossible that something heavier than air could fly. Yet every day, large groups of people fly in heavy airplanes for lengths of time up to fifteen hours. Like most new inventions, the airplane is the culmination of the work of many different inventors and inventions. Sir George Cayley between 1799 and 1809 is credited with being the first to have the idea to hold the wings still and to use propellers for thrusters. The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur, were the first inventors to build a working airplane in 1903.
The Telephone
It still isn't completely clear whether Elisha Gray or Alexander Graham Bell invented the first telephone. The two inventors applied for patents on the same day. They fought legally over the patent, but Bell ultimately won out. His invention was inspired by his love of music and financed by his father-in-law who was interested in breaking the monopoly held by the telegraph company. Bell's famous first words over his first successful telephone were to his assistant. He said, "Watson...come here...I want to see you."
The Automobile
The automobile is a culmination of thousands of ideas and patents beginning with rudimentary plans by Leonardo da Vinci and Isaac Newton. Before the modern gasoline engine was made common, steam engines and electric engines were experimented with. It wasn't until 1885 that the first practical automobile was invented by Karl Benz. The French were the first to manufacture a complete motor vehicle with engine and chassis, but it wasn't until Henry Ford streamlined the car manufacturing process in 1913 that car ownership became affordable for many people.
The Steam Engine
The steam engine was the most important invention idea of the industrial revolution. By mechanically producing energy out of steam, it effectively replaced the traditional water and muscle powe
Dr. Giuliana Tesoro
Woman inventor Giuliana Tesoro obtained over 125 patents in the field of fiber and textile chemistry. With a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Yale, Tesoro developed processes to prevent static accumulation in synthetic fibers, designed flame-resistant fibers, pioneered improved permanent press properties for textiles and discovered ways to make new manufacturing projects run at peak operation and efficiency.
Dr. Tesoro's innovative genius made her the most prolific of all women inventors.
James Edward West
Ninety percent of microphones used today are based on the ingenuity of African American inventor James Edward West.
West and a colleague, Gerhard Sessler, developed the mic (officially known as the Electroacoustic Transducer Electret Microphone) while working for Bell Laboratories. They received a patent for the mic in 1962.
Throughout his 40-year career with Bell Labs, West obtained 47 U.S. patents and more than 200 foreign patents, making him one of the most prolific black inventors in history.
Dr. Charles Richard Drew
Dr. Charles Richard Drew has an honorable place among famous black inventors as the person who invented the modern blood bank. He discovered that by when red blood cells and plasma are separated, blood can be stored for long periods of time. He used this knowledge to establish blood banks and the Red Cross, where he served as the first director.
After the US War Department announced that the blood of white donors and black donors shouldn't be mixed, Drew stepped down from his position at the Red Cross in protest. He maintained that race did not affect the properties of blood.
Becky Schroeder
When kid inventor Becky Schroeder was ten years old, she was doing her homework in the car, waiting for her mom. As it grew darker she wished that there was a way for her paper to light up so that she could see what she was doing more easily. That's when she got her idea for the Glo-sheet.
The next day she began experimenting with paper and phosphorescent paint until she had invented a type of paper that can glow in the dark. In 1974, at the age of 12, Becky Schroeder became the youngest of all famous women inventors to receive a U.S. patent.
Valerie Thomas
From 1964 to 1995, African American inventor and scientist Valerie Thomas worked in a variety of capacities for NASA, where she developed real-time computer data systems, conducted large-scale experiments and managed numerous operations, projects and facilities.
While overseeing a project for NASA¡¯s image processing systems, Thomas¡¯ team spearheaded the development of ¡°Landsat,¡± the first satellite to send images from space. Later, in 1980, she received a patent for an illusion transmitter, which uses concave mirrors on both ends of the transmission to create the optical illusion of a 3-dimensional image on the receiving end. NASA continues to use this technology and is exploring new applications for it.
Frank Epperson
When kid inventor Frank Epperson was 11 years old, he accidentally left his juice and stirrer outside on a cold night. The next morning, his juice was frozen solid. Epperson named the frozen juice creation the Epsicle. Later, his kids convinced him to change the name of his invention to popsicle. This popular treat is now a summer favorite for kids everywhere.