Let's Thank Women Inventors

As we approach Thanksgiving, many of us find ourselves thinking about all we have to be thankful about. Whether it be your family, your community, your job, or your talents, there is no one out there who can say they have not been blessed with one thing or another. This year, in addition to everything else we say "thank you" for, we'd like to acknowledge and thank all the inventors out there who make it their job to create products that not only serve to benefit their bank accounts, but serve to better the world. In particular, let's highlight some of the brilliant American women inventors of the past who have played integral roles in bettering our daily lives.

We can't forget that in the past, American women inventors faced challenges their male counterparts didn't, as American women couldn't get patents in their own name for years among other proverbial hurdles throughout history. Here are some of the many amazing women who defied stereotypes and created some of the coolest inventions the world has seen:

Hedy Lamarr

Mainly remembered as a silver screen beauty who captivated movie-goers around the globe, the Austrian actress was also a wireless communications pioneer! Lamarr and co-inventor George Anthiel created a “secret communications system” used by Allied forces during the Second World War. The system “manipulated radio frequencies at irregular intervals between transmission and reception” to create codes the enemy couldn't figure out. Talk about being more than a pretty face!




Mary Anderson

Did you know windshield wipers were invented by a woman? Mary Anderson’s invention design won her a patent in 1903, and became a vehicle standard in 1916. Nifty, huh?

Dr. Temple Grandin

A famous teacher and speaker the world over, Dr. Grandin never let autism stand in her way. Not only did she have a Ph.D. in animal science, she also created a more efficient system for slaughtering cows. Her restraint system kept the animals calm and prevented injury, and is used by nearly half of ranchers in the United States.


Ruth Handler

The inventor of one of the most famous toys in existence, the Barbie Doll, Handler named the iconic toy after her daughter Barbara. She is also the co-founder of Mattel, which remains a top American toy company.




Margaret E. Knight

While working in a Massachusetts paper bag plant following the American Civil War, Knight devised an invention design that created flat-bottomed bags. Paper bags were not flat-bottomed at the time, and Knight’s rotary engine machine automatically folded and glued bags in the flat-bottomed fashion still used today.






Patsy Sherman

One of the few female research chemists hired by the 3M Company in 1952, a 1953 “lab mishap” resulted in Sherman’s stain repellent liquid. Now known as Scotchguard Stain Repellent, the fluoro-chemical repelled oil and water without changing the look of a particular product, such as tennis shoes.


Pretty amazing, huh?