Women Inventors

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4000 Years of Women in Science
Women in Science is a collection of biographies of women throughout history who have contributed to mathematics, science and technology.

American Women Inventors Go Public
In the modern era, women have had more difficulty gaining credit for their inventions, but that has not stopped them from inventing.

Betty Rozier and Lisa Vallino
Rozier and Vallino, a mother and daughter invention team, invented the intravenous catheter shield.

How Many Women Inventors Are There?
Today, thousands of women apply for and receive a patent every year.

Mary Kies: Patenting Pioneer
Kies was the first women to receive a U.S. patent on May 15, 1809.

Mothers of Invention - Women Inventors
Discover the many famous women inventors who have made their mark in history as "Mothers of Invention".

Prolific Female Inventors of the Industrial Era
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).

Railroad Inventions Created by Women Inventors
During the 1800s, several women inventors made important contributions to improving safety and reducing noise pollution from trains.

Sybilla Masters - First American Woman Inventor
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.

Trivia Quiz - Mothers of Invention
Test your knowledge about the Mothers of Invention by taking this fun trivia quiz.

Women's History in Transportation
American women have played important roles in improving how we travel for more than 170 years.

Women and the History of Computers.
Ada Lovelace - Edith Clarke - Rósa Péter - Grace Hopper - Alexandra Forsythe - Evelyn Granville - Margaret Fox - Erna Hoover - Kay Antonelli - Alice Burks - Adele Goldstine - Joan Winters.

Ada Lovelace
Wrote a scientific paper in 1843 that anticipated the development of computer software artificial intelligence and computer music.

Dianne Croteau
Invented Actar 911, the CPR mannequin.

Krisztina Holly
Co-invented the telephony software called Visual Voice.

Barbara Askins
Developed a totally new way of processing film.

Ann Tsukamoto
The co-patenter of a process to isolate the human stem cell.

Valerie Thomas
Received a patent in 1980 for inventing an illusion transmitter.

Ann Moore
Invented the Snugli baby carrier.

Carol Wior
Invented the Slimsuit, a slimming swimsuit.

Gabriele Knecht
Patented the Forward Sleeve design for creating clothing.

Katherine Blodgett
Invented the non-reflecting glass.

Defying Stereotypes
This article is about women inventing in traditionally male fields.

Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman was considered the "Moses of the Civil War" for her work on the underground railroads.

Women Inventors A-Z
From A-Z the biographies, inventions, and photos of women inventors from Randi Altschul to Mary Walton. Use the individual listings below for more details on each entry.

Patricia Bath
The first African American woman doctor to receive a patent for a medical invention.

Anna Keichline
Architect, Anna Keichline created inventions for the home.

Lillian Gilbreth
Lillian Moller Gilbreth was an inventor, author, industrial engineer, industrial psychologist, and mother of twelve children.

Marie Curie
Marie Curie also known as Madame Curie discovered radium and furthered x-ray technology.

Female Ingenuity
A partial list of the many ingenious inventions by women.

Women Nobel Prize Laureates
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.

Women of NASA
The Women of NASA interactive project showcases outstanding women who are enjoying successful careers in math, science and technology.

"It's a Woman's Invention"
This is an article written by Ginny Grein that has advice for new inventors.

Women Inventors (1899)
This is an article on women inventors that was part of a 1899 patent manual written by Fred Dieterich.

Mothers of Inventions
This is an article by Heather Salerno on the familiar tale of why women inventors are not given more exposure, with several historical inventors highlighted.

Josephine Garis Cochran
In 1886, Josephine Cochran invented the first practical dishwasher.

Rachel Fuller Brown
Rachel Brown co-invented Nystatin, the world's first useful antifungal antibiotic.

Sarah Boone
An improvement to the ironing board was invented by African American Sarah Boone on April 26, 1892.

Bessie Blount
Blount invented a device to help disabled people eat with less difficulty.

Miriam E. Benjamin
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
Patricia Billings invented a indestructible and fireproof building material called Geobond®.

Virginia Apgar
Apgar invented a newborn scoring system or "Apgar Score" for assessing the health of newborn infants.

Mary Anderson
Mary Anderson invented the windshield wiper. Anderson was issued a patent for the wipers in 1905.

Dr. Betsy Ancker-Johnson
Dr. Betsy Ancker-Johnson was the third woman inventor elected to the National Academy oF engineering.

Randi Altschul
Randice-Lisa Altschul invented the world's first disposable cell phone.

Krysta Morlan
Krysta Morlan invented a device that relieves the irritation caused by wearing a cast - the cast cooler.

Alice Parker
Alice Parker invented a new and improved gas heating furnace.

Hedy Lamarr
Lamarr was a movie star and inventor.

Edith Flanigen
Flanigen was the inventor of a petroleum refining method and is considered one of the most inventive chemists of all time.

Elizabeth Lee Hazen
Elizabeth Hazen co-invented Nystatin, the world's first useful antifungal antibiotic.

Sarah E. Goode
Sarah Goode was the first African American women to receive a U.S. patent.

Ruth Handler
The Barbie doll was invented in 1959 by Ruth Handler.

Margaret Knight
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.

Martha J. Coston
Martha Coston invented a pyrotechnic signaling system known as maritime signal flares.

Madame Walker
Madame Walker was a St. Louis washerwoman-turned-entrepreneur, who in 1905 invented a method to soften and smooth African American hair.

Mary Walton
Walton invented several anti-pollution devices during the Industrial Revolution.

Grace Hopper
Grace Hopper was a computer inventor best known for the Mark computer series.

Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin
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.

KK Gregory
KK Gregory is the ten-year old inventor of Wristies®.

Temple Grandin
Temple Grandin invented livestock-handling devices.

Bette Nesmith Graham
Graham invented liquid paper, also known as White-Out™.

Sally Fox
Sally Fox invented naturally-colored cotton.

Gertrude Belle Elion
Elion invented the leukemia-fighting drug 6-mercaptopurine, drugs that facilitated kidney transplants and other drugs for the treatment of cancer and leukemia.

Marion Donovan
The convenient disposable diaper was invented by New Yorker Marion Donovan in 1950.

Patsy Sherman
Patsy Sherman invented Scotchgard™.

Ellen Ochoa
Ochoa invented optical analysis systems and was the world's first Hispanic female astronaut.

Stephanie Louise Kwolek
Kwolek invented a material five times stronger than steel called Kevlar.

Amanda Theodosia Jones
Jones re-invented American food production by inventing vacuum packed canning.

Marjorie Stewart Joyner
Joyner invented a permanent wave machine that would allow a hairdo to stay set for days.

Mary Phelps Jacob
Mary Phelps Jacob invented the bra.

Erna Schneider Hoover
Hoover invented the computerized telephone switching system.

Beulah Henry
All told, Henry made about 110 inventions and holds 49 patents.

Frances Gabe
Gabe invented the "Self Cleaning House".

Helen Free
Free was the inventor of the home diabetes test.