To most people, the word “invention” triggers thoughts of Albert Einstein, Alexandar Graham Bell and those men who lived their lives in the worlds of science and research. Professionals in their workplaces, whether they are lawyers, technicians or doctors tap the knowledge from books and journals mostly written by men. Female sexuality has always been linked to appearance, and women were merely seen as objects of beauty.

Today, business minds have finally realized the foolishnes of ignoring women, and as a result, are now giving prominence to what they have and want to contribute to society. For millions of women, chosing the lifestyle they always wanted is no longer their overriding concern. Things are changing for the better in a culture that was once so obsessed with keeping women behind closed doors. Below is a brief look at some of things that women have invented.

Compiler for the First Computer

Admiral Grace Murray Hopper’s compiler, called the Flow-Matic, was extensively used in the first computer made available commercially in the 1950s. The manual of operation that she wrote while she worked with IBM’s Harvard Mark I computer, became the resource for other programmers looking for an easy way to create codes that were error free.

Square-bottomed Paper Bag

Earlier version bags resembled an envelope and lacked the needed rigidity and usefulness. This is when Margaret Knight furnished the public with her innovative item,  paper bags with a square bottom, that can hold more things without it giving way. Paper bags, now found in many retail and grocery stores, are worthy of a study in themselves.

Dishwasher

Many times the inventions in the kitchen are a consequence of being disgruntled, exhausted or over worked.
Josephine Cochrane didn’t spend her time washing dishes, hating the way things were. Her habit of not focusing on her kitchen only seemed to be getting worse, and she took the invention more seriously when her maids broke her favorite dinnerware from China.

Windshield Wiper

During the early 20th century, it appeared that the drivers of vehicles went through too much trouble cleaning their front window, having to actually stop the vehicle every time. Mary Anderson, a New York visitor, speculated that the presence of a squeegee on a spindle would do the job easier for them. That thought had a role in her invention in 1903, the windshield wiper, which is now the most basic element of any vehicle. 

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ruth Wakefield, a dietitian and food lecturer, had bought an old toll house and converted it into an inn with a restaurant, in Boston. The dietitian had an important but potentially difficult role of baking cookies for hundreds of guests who came to dine. Unfortunately, at some point, she ran out of baker’s chocolate meant for preparing Butter Drop cookies and ended up using pieces of Nestle chocolate bar. The chocolate pieces did not melt as expected, but held their shape, and that was later named as “Chocolate chip cookies” by her guests.