Famous women inventors - learn about women inventing in traditionally male fields and why women are a minority of patent holders and how that is rapidly changing.
Women Inventors A-Z the biographies - inventions and photos of inventors from Randi Altschul to Mary Walton.
Learn about the origins of Women's History Month and what women inventors have contributed to history.
Today, thousands of women apply for and receive a patent every year.
Discover the many famous women inventors who have made their mark in history as "Mothers of Invention".
During the 1800s, several women inventors made important contributions to improving safety and reducing noise pollution from trains.
Test your knowledge about the Mothers of Invention by taking this fun trivia quiz.
Randice-Lisa Altschul invented the world's first disposable cell phone.
Dr. Betsy Ancker-Johnson was the third woman inventor elected to the National Academy oF engineering.
Mary Anderson invented the windshield wiper. Anderson was issued a patent for the wipers in 1905.
Apgar invented a newborn scoring system or "Apgar Score" for assessing the health of newborn infants.
Developed a totally new way of processing film.
The first African American woman doctor to receive a patent for a medical invention.
Ms. Benjamin was the second black woman inventor to receive a patent. She received a patent for an invention she called a "Gong and Signal Chair for Hotels".
Patricia Billings invented a indestructible and fireproof building material called Geobond®.
Invented the non-reflecting glass.
Blount invented a device to help disabled people eat with less difficulty.
An improvement to the ironing board was invented by African American Sarah Boone on April 26, 1892.
Rachel Brown co-invented Nystatin, the world's first useful antifungal antibiotic.
In 1886, Josephine Cochran invented the first practical dishwasher.
Martha Coston invented a pyrotechnic signaling system known as maritime signal flares.
Invented Actar 911, the CPR mannequin.
Marie Curie also known as Madame Curie discovered radium and furthered x-ray technology.
The convenient disposable diaper was invented by New Yorker Marion Donovan in 1950.
Elion invented the leukemia-fighting drug 6-mercaptopurine, drugs that facilitated kidney transplants and other drugs for the treatment of cancer and leukemia.
Flanigen was the inventor of a petroleum refining method and is considered one of the most inventive chemists of all time.
Free was the inventor of the home diabetes test.
Sally Fox invented naturally-colored cotton.
Gabe invented the "Self Cleaning House".
Lillian Moller Gilbreth was an inventor, author, industrial engineer, industrial psychologist, and mother of twelve children.
Sarah Goode was the first African American women to receive a U.S. patent.
Graham invented liquid paper, also known as White-Out™.
Temple Grandin invented livestock-handling devices.
KK Gregory is the ten-year old inventor of Wristies®.
The Barbie doll was invented in 1959 by Ruth Handler.
Elizabeth Hazen co-invented Nystatin, the world's first useful antifungal antibiotic.
All told, Henry made about 110 inventions and holds 49 patents.
Hodgkin used x-rays to find the structural layouts of atoms and to discover the overall molecular shape of over 100 molecules including: penicillin, vitamin B-12, vitamin D and insulin.
Co-invented the telephony software called Visual Voice.
Hoover invented the computerized telephone switching system.
Grace Hopper was a computer inventor best known for the Mark computer series.
Mary Phelps Jacob invented the bra.
Jones re-invented American food production by inventing vacuum packed canning.
Joyner invented a permanent wave machine that would allow a hairdo to stay set for days.
Architect, Anna Keichline created inventions for the home.
Kies was the first women to receive a U.S. patent on May 15, 1809.
Patented the Forward Sleeve design for creating clothing.
Margaret Knight was an employee in a paper bag factory when she invented a new machine part to make square bottoms for paper bags. Knight can be considered the mother of the grocery bag, she founded the Eastern Paper Bag Company in 1870.
Kwolek invented a material five times stronger than steel called Kevlar.
Lamarr was a movie star and inventor.
Wrote a scientific paper in 1843 that anticipated the development of computer software artificial intelligence and computer music.
Masters was the first American female inventor in recorded history, but no doubt women have been inventing since the dawn of time without the deserved recognition.
Invented the Snugli baby carrier.
Krysta Morlan invented a device that relieves the irritation caused by wearing a cast - the cast cooler.
Ochoa invented optical analysis systems and was the world's first Hispanic female astronaut.
Alice Parker invented a new and improved gas heating furnace.
Rozier and Vallino, a mother and daughter invention team, invented the intravenous catheter shield.
Patsy Sherman invented Scotchgard™.
Received a patent in 1980 for inventing an illusion transmitter.
The co-patenter of a process to isolate the human stem cell.
Harriet Tubman was considered the "Moses of the Civil War" for her work on the underground railroads.
Madame Walker was a St. Louis washerwoman-turned-entrepreneur, who in 1905 invented a method to soften and smooth African American hair.
Walton invented several anti-pollution devices during the Industrial Revolution.
Invented the Slimsuit, a slimming swimsuit.
In the modern era, women have had more difficulty gaining credit for their inventions, but that has not stopped them from inventing.
Four "Lady Edisons" are described in this article: Mary S, Beulah Louise Henry (ice cream freezer), Helen Augusta Blanchard (zigzag stitch machine) and Margaret Knight (square-bottomed paper bags).
This article is about women inventing in traditionally male fields.
This is an article on women inventors that was part of a 1899 patent manual written by Fred Dieterich.
This is an article written by Ginny Grein that has advice for new inventors.
Ada Lovelace - Edith Clarke - Rósa Péter - Grace Hopper - Alexandra Forsythe - Evelyn Granville - Margaret Fox - Erna Hoover - Kay Antonelli - Alice Burks - Adele Goldstine - Joan Winters.
American women have played important roles in improving how we travel for more than 170 years.
The Women of NASA interactive project showcases outstanding women who are enjoying successful careers in math, science and technology.
In 1903, only two years after the Nobel Foundation was established, the first Nobel Prize was awarded to a woman. Women have been winning Nobel Prizes ever since.
A partial list of the many ingenious inventions by women.
