Everyday life is filled with small luxuries that make our days incredibly convenient compared to our ancestors.
We rarely dwell upon the names of those who invented them. You don’t think of Tesla every time you use electricity, and you don’t think of Edison whenever you turn on the lights.
But the thing is, everyone knows about Tesla and Edison. Their deeds are common knowledge, while female scientists still don’t get even half the riconoscimento they deserve.
Genius women have invented many of the things we can’t imagine modern life without. Here are their names!
1. Computer Algorithm: Ada Lovelace
The very first computer algorithm was written back in the 1800s by Ada Lovelace.
She was the genius who saw the real potential in the mechanical computer designed by Charles Babbage.
Although most people regarded the invention as a complicated calculator, Ada realized it could do much more.
In 1843, she wrote the world’s first calculation program for this machine. In other words, she paved the way for every single piece of software and app we use today!
This woman was a visionary, and she imagined a future where machines could create music, pictures, and science.
The entire digital age is founded on her invention!
It’s truly inspiring to know that the tech world was created by a woman, even though it’s mostly dominated by men in our day.
2. Wireless Connection: Hedy Lamarr
We all rely on Wi-Fi e Bluetooth every single day, and we actually have a Hollywood icon to thank for that!
Hedy Lamarr was a gorgeous movie star, but she was also an inventor!
During World War II, she wanted to help, and so she co-invented a secret communication system in 1942.
It was her idea to use frequency-hopping signals to prevent jamming.
The Navy ignored her at the time, but her patent later became the foundation for the wireless spread spectrum technology!
It’s thanks to her that we’re able to use wireless headphones and the internet all the time.
The world of her time had dismissed her as a little more than a pretty face, so let’s not repeat that mistake.
3. Home Security System: Marie Van Brittan Brown
Marie Van Brittan Brown was a nurse living in Queens in the 1960s. Her neighborhood was dealing with high crime rates, and the police were notoriously slow to respond.
I guess some things truly don’t change.
This forced Marie to take things into her own hands. So, in 1969, she patented the first motorized home video surveillance system!
This invention allowed her to see who was at her door without having to answer it, and she even had a remote lock mechanism!
The modern home security systems rest on her genius.
She used her own ingenuity to create a solution that now protects millions of families worldwide.
4. Laser Cataract Surgery: Dr. Patricia Bath
This medical procedure has saved the eyesight of millions of people around the world, and it’s all thanks to Dr. Patricia Bath.
In 1986, she invented the Laserphaco Probe.
The device used a highly precise laser to safely and painlessly dissolve cataracts in the eye. This made the whole process far less invasive than it was in the past.
Thanks to her, restoring sight became faster, safer, and more accessible!
She was also the first female African American doctor to receive a medical patent.
Dr. Bath also realized that blindness was more common among minorities and low-income communities. It was her desire to change the status quo that led to her incredible invention!
5. Disposable Diapers: Marion Donovan
Though cloth diapers are an organic alternative, any parent knows how overwhelming they can be.
In the most stressful and sleep-deprived period of life, no one needs an endless cycle of laundry on top of everything.
In 1949, Marion Donovan was a mom who decided to do something about it.
She created the first disposable diaper by sewing a shower curtain into a waterproof diaper cover. She called it the Boater.
As it usually goes, the people of her time didn’t appreciate the invention. The manufacturers even claimed it was an unnecessary product!
But Marion never gave up, and eventually sold her product, which went on to create an entire industry!
She also came up with other things to make motherhood easier. Her work changed parenthood forever.
6. Circular Saw: Tabitha Babbitt
You’d think there’s no room for women in lumber mills and construction sites, but that wasn’t the case in the Shaker communities of the 1800s.
Even back then, they practiced “gender equality,” and men and women shared hard labor evenly.
In 1812, a Shaker woman, Tabitha Babbitt, watched her community use a heavy, two-man pit saw to cut wood, and decided there had to be an easier way.
Also, the back-and-forth motion wasted time and energy, since the cutting only happened when the wood was pushed forward.
Her invention began when she attached a notched circular blade to her spinning wheel. That was the first prototype.
However, while the community preached equality in physical labor, Tabitha wasn’t allowed to patent her own product, so a man ended up taking all the credit.
A woman revolutionized an entire industry, but her community didn’t care to make the world remember her name.
7. Dishwasher: Josephine Cochrane
Dishwashers save us so much time and energy, and most modern kitchens include one.
Josephine Cochrane invented it, but not for the reason you’d think. Josephine didn’t wash the dishes herself.
She had servants for that, but some of them were clumsy and kept breaking or chipping her fine china.
In 1886, she patented a mechanical dishwasher that actually worked.
Her design used water pressure to clean the dishes, which is exactly how modern machines operate today.
She eventually unveiled her invention at the World’s Fair and won the highest prize.
Restaurants and hotels immediately saw the value, and soon, the dishwasher became an absolute necessity for commercial kitchens!
8. Windshield Wipers: Mary Anderson
Mary Anderson is who we have to thank for keeping us safe on the road!
In 1903, Mary sat in a trolley, and she noticed that the driver had to keep stopping to wipe the snow off the front window. It was both dangerous and inefficient!
So, when she got home, she designed a manual window-cleaning arm that a driver could control from inside the vehicle.
She patented her design the same year, but it was actually rejected! Car companies actually thought the moving object would distract drivers.
Eventually, as cars became faster, her invention became standard equipment.
9. Modern Life Raft: Maria Beasley
Maria Beasley’s invention saved countless lives!
In the late 1800s, the life rafts used on ships were just flat planks of wood. They were unstable and could easily turn upside down in the water.
Maria noticed this safety flaw and chose to do something about it.
In 1882, she patented a fireproof life raft that was stable, had guard rails, and included flotation elements. Her design changed maritime safety!
In fact, her life rafts were famously used on the Titanic.
10. Car Heater: Margaret A. Wilcox
In 1893, cars were much different. They were still essentially open carriages, except they were powered by an engine instead of horses.
They were windy and terribly uncomfortable during winter.
Margaret A. Wilcox was already a brilliant mechanical engineer when she invented the car heater.
Her idea was to channel warm air from the engine over to the passengers.
It seems so simple and obvious to us now, but back then, no one else could figure out how to make winter travels more bearable.
A little Aquarius, devoted to writing and embroidery. Through my writing, I hope to empower readers to align with their true selves and navigate life’s mysteries with confidence.