Imagine, as a woman living in a patriarchal society, succeeding in inventing an object that changes your daily life… Impressive, isn't it? Discover the inventions of these brilliant women, who marked history with their ingenuity (and their daring!).
If history should retain geniuses, they are most of the time men. Yet women, too, know how to be visionaries (and especially for their time). And while they remain less well-known than their male counterparts, they deserve you to know their name and what they have been able to create despite adversity.
Whether they are small essentials for our daily life or revolutionary concepts, these inventions have changed our lives! Here they are…
1. Monopoly
Classic Monopoly board game, sold € 22.99 on Fnac
Eh yes ! Probably known as one of the most popular board games today, Monopoly was invented by a woman! Many believe that it was Charles Darrow, unemployed since the 1929 crisis, who invented Monopoly and later became a millionaire. But in reality, it is Elizabeth Magie to whom we owe this board game (and many sources of family arguments!).
In 1903, long before Charles Darrow, she created a game called "The Landlord's Game"(" The Owner's Game "). As a passionate economic stenographer, she wanted to playfully expose landlord abuse of power and tax injustice. Charles Darrow later discovered the game and decided to create a copy, which he renamed "Monopoly", before releasing it to the market with some difficulty. Parker Brothers, having acquired his game, also bought back Elizabeth Magic's game, which sold it for only … $ 500. She wasn't really interested in money, she just wanted her message to spread.
2. The dishwasher
Before you jump into miso teasing, think about how much this household appliance makes your life easier! In addition to being economical (if used properly), the dishwasher saves time and energy. We can thank Josephine Cochrane for this invention which changes our daily lives. Her motivation was not really altruistic, however: as she was fed up with her household staff breaking her precious dishes, she redoubled her ingenuity to develop a practical and easy-to-use model.
Very resourceful by nature, she would have exclaimed: "If nobody wants to invent a dishwasher, I will do it myself!" », Before launching. So in 1886, in his small town in Illinois, the dishwasher was born! Today, its use remains particularly popular.
3. The lifeboat
A talented entrepreneur and inventor, Maria Beasley had already patented at least 14 inventions before creating the object that will save many lives at sea: the lifeboat. Patented in 1880, its model already had the advantage of being compact, easy to use and fireproof. Prior to that, ships used rather liferafts, flat and wooden.
Regarding Maria Beasley, however, little is known, either about her education or what prompted her to become an inventor, but some speculate that she was influenced by the World's Fair. from 1876. Regardless of his source of inspiration, that will not prevent him from also thinking of a process to manufacture barrels (very opportune at the time of the industrial revolution!) and from becoming a business leader. Rather stylish for a woman of the time!
4. Wi-Fi
We owe the Wi-Fi to a Hollywood actress! Probably the most famous inventor on this list, Hedy Lamarr just happens to be the mother of wireless technology. Considered the "most beautiful woman in the world," the actress studied engineering in her early years, before devoting her career to film. But this environment quickly bores her and she dedicates her free time to physics and mechanics. An unusual hobby for women at the time, and even less so for a Hollywood actress!
During World War II, she and George Antheil developed a mechanism that allowed torpedoes to be driven from a distance, based on the encoding of information to be transmitted by radio frequencies. This technology, patented since 1941, has become a basis for telephony and wireless networks.
5. The wiper
In 1902, while Mary Anderson was visiting New York, she noticed that streetcar drivers kept the vehicle's windows open to remove snow from the windshield, causing delays in addition to freezing passengers. .es She then imagines a solution: a windshield wiper, which works like a squeegee that is operated from inside the car using a lever.
Two years later, Mary Anderson attempted to sell her patent, but was unsuccessful, as it was considered to have little commercial value. Its patent expired in 1920 and only two years later, the Cadillac factory made it a standard accessory on its cars … Today, its invention remains indispensable for all drivers.
6. The first algorithm in history
What would the world be like today without algorithms? No websites or apps … A completely unthinkable situation in our hyper-connected society. Ada Lovelace, the daughter of romantic poet Lord Byron, was clearly ahead of her time in writing the instructions for the first computer program.
In the mid-1800s, she worked with the mathematician Charles Babbage and translated the functions of the latter's analytical machine. Published in 1843, Ada Lovelace's translation clearly describes the operation of the device as well as the algorithm, which will generate the Bernoulli numbers (very important in mathematics and physics). Today, its algorithm is considered the world's first computer program.
7. The circular saw
She is not officially recognized as its inventor. Yet Tabitha Babbitt, an American born in 1779, is believed to be the originator of the circular saw. Originally a weaver, she used to watch men use a pitsaw (a large saw operated by two people). She thought then that a round blade might be more effective for sawing through a tree trunk. And thus would have designed a new model of saw, connected to a hydraulic machine to reduce human efforts.
In 1813, Tabitha Babbit is said to have invented what appears to be one of the first circular saws used in a sawmill. But, belonging to a Shaker community – a branch of Protestantism that prohibits private property – she did not file a patent. We also owe him the dental prosthesis, the spinning wheel head and the cut nail.
8. Kevlar
Kevlar is known as a high strength fiber used in the manufacture of bulletproof vests, but also in the sails and hulls of boats, tires, but also the aeronautics and aerospace industries.
In 1964, Stephanie Kwolek was commissioned to develop a material that could replace the steel cord in car tires. And it ends up accidentally creating Kevlar, a synthetic fiber that is ultimately five times stronger than steel and much lighter! From rod-shaped molecules, it has made fiber polymers that line up in one direction, giving it strength.
9. The bra
While the trend today is "no-bra", imagine what it was like to go from a stiff bodice to a lighter, fluffier bra. A real revolution for the women of the time! Mary Phelps Jacob, now Caresse Crosby, an American editor, activist and writer, was fed up with the discomfort of bodices. She decided to use handkerchiefs and a ribbon to make the very first bra, an invention she patented in 1914.
By this time, women had already experimented with the bra, but it was the idea of "separating the breasts" that made the design so original. The idea was immediately successful, as it made it possible to get rid of the stiff and stuffy bodices, in order to move to something lighter, more comfortable and usable for sports activities.
10. Solar energy
An energy not invented, but discovered! Maria Telkes was a physicist who devoted much of her studies to technologies using solar energy. So much so that she earned the nickname "Queen of the Sun".
In 1947, she worked with architect Eleanor Raymond in building a house powered by a thermoelectric generator of her own invention. She used molten salts to store the heat and then redistribute it around the house. We are a long way from photovoltaic panels and modern technology, but this is the first time that solar energy has been used for a heating system. This process remained active for three years, before giving up the soul.
Today, in France, solar energy represents only 2.2% of total electricity production, but is slowly starting to develop.