We'll probably never know how many women inventors there were. That's because in the early years of the United States, a woman could not get a patent in her own name. A patent is considered a kind of property, and until the late 1800s laws forbade women in most states from owning property or entering into legal agreements in their own names. Instead, a woman's property would be in the name of her father or husband.
For example, many people believe that Sybilla Masters was the first American woman inventor. In 1712 she developed a new corn mill, but was denied a patent because she was a woman. Three years later the patent was filed successfully in her husband's name.
[factmonster.com]
Circular saw Tabitha Babbitt 1812
Dishwasher Josephine Cochran 1872
Electric hot water heater Ida Forbes 1917
Elevated railway Mary Walton 1881
Locomotive chimney Mary Walton 1879
Paper-bag-making machine Margaret Knight 1871
Rotary engine Margaret Knight 1904
Street-cleaning machine Florence Parpart 1900
Submarine lamp and telescope Sarah Mather 1845
Windshield wiper Mary Anderson 1903
And finally... Kevlar, a steel-like fiber used in radial tires, crash helmets, and bulletproof vests Stephanie Kwolek 1966
I know Kevlar doesn't have more than two moving parts... unless you consider the molecular make-up and then you're really getting in deeper than your shallow, ignorant mind can handle.
Monday, February 13, 2012
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