It’s no secret that women are fairly impressive beings.
As if the fact that we create human life IN OUR BODIES isn’t proof enough, there’s also the many things we’ve achieved throughout history despite not always being considered as capable of doing so.
Thankfully, it’s much easier for women to be recognised for our efforts nowadays. This is why women who lived before us and were able to develop game-changing inventions is that much more impressive.
Here are just a few of the things created by powerful and impressive women that are still making our lives just that little bit better each day.
Monopoly.
Monopoly: bringing families together and then tearing them apart since 1906.
This wonderful friction-filled game was created by Elizabeth Magie to educate the masses on the inherent issues of capitalism, such as land taxes and rent and land grabbing and all the other issues we’re still facing over 100 years later.
Although the game was technically ripped off by a man — whose name I will not even mention — she was paid for the patent she created in 1904.
Unfortunately, it was only $500, which is a smidge less than what she probably deserved.
Computers.
Ada Lovelace, thank you.
Your work in creating instructions for a computer program has helped us spend hours playing solitaire, creating artwork on paint, and eventually lead to the Internet which we all know has given us access to thousands and thousands of cat videos. But aside from the trivial, her work has completely revolutionised the world we live in.
The paper bag.
Margaret Knight was working at a cotton mill when she created the very thing that keeps all your delicious takeaway food in one convenient place: the paper bag.
After a man tried to patent her design, Knight took him to court and won the rights to the patent.
Excellent work, Margaret.
The ice cream maker.
In 1843, Nancy Johnson patented a hand-operated ice cream freezer.
Although we don’t know a lot about Nancy and her development of this wonder-machine, I do know that due to her love of ice-cream, she’s more than alright by me.
The dishwasher.
Josephine Cochrane invented the lazy man’s answer to washing up in 1887.
Although she didn’t actually use it herself and instead gave it to her servants according to Mental Floss, it has remained a valuable asset to the households of us regular folk since she created it.
Lazy people everywhere thank you every night, Josephine.
The life raft.
Despite the fact that people have been navigating bodies of water for millennia, no one had create an effective device or method for saving lives in an emergency situation until 1882.
That was when Maria Beasley invented the life raft, which has gone on to save an immeasurable amount of lives.
Medical syringe.
Although you may not be thrilled about this one as a small child, I think we can all acknowledge that the syringe is a very important and useful invention.
Thanks to Letitia Geer creating it in 1899, we now have the syringe that could be held by one hand and is now the vehicle for many life saving immunisations.
Beer.
That’s right my friends, a woman invented the beverage that men have so rudely claimed as their own.
According to historian Jane Peyton, the origins of beer were traced to women in Mesopotamia and Sumeria 7,000 years ago.
You’re welcome, everyone.
Of course, we are merely scratching the surface of the things women invented. There are also disposable nappies, liquid paper, bulletproof vests and choc-chip cookies (to name a few of the Very Important ones).
Next time you eat an ice cream or browse the Internet, you can raise a glass to the women who helped make that possible.
So long as you’re raising a glass of beer. Obviously.
What woman inventor do you admire?
Here are a few more amazing women:
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Top Comments
Grace Hopper didn't invent the computer - she was a programmer who developed some of the first computer languages. Charles Babbage developed the idea of the programmable computer, while Alan Turing envisioned the idea of the modern computer. A simple Wikipedia search would have shown this. Grace Hopper was an incredible and intelligent woman, but she didn't "invent the computer".
I'm interested in the syringe one, because I had thought that there were vaccinations prior to 1899, for instance small pox. Therefore I wonder how they vaccinated the people without syringes?
Re the icecream one well I am currently on a diet but feel that it would be wrong for me not to honour this woman, so am off to the freezer! (now who invented Tim Tam icecream! that's what your next article needs to be about)
The smallpox vaccine was most definitely available before 1899 but it is not administered with a syringe but with a bifurcated needle. If you look up smallpox vaccine administration, you can see pictures.
There are other vaccines that are/can be administered without a syringe too. The flu vax is sometimes offered as a mist in the US (could be here too, and in other places, but I've only heard of it in the US) and the polio vaccine can be given orally.