Mothers of Invention

Although most inventors today are scientists or engineers, neither profession is a prerequisite. Actresses, housewives, beauticians — even an English noble — have made outstanding innovations. The number of patents awarded to women is rising, according to the National Women's History Project. In 1888, women accounted for only 1 percent of U.S. patents issued. Recently, the proportion has increased to 6 percent. Here is a brief look at a few ingenious women and their inventions.

Mary Dixon Kies: Straw and silk weaving
The first patent granted to a woman by the U.S. Patent Office was given in 1809 to Kies, of Connecticut, for a method of weaving straw with silk. The patent was destroyed in a 1836 Patent Office fire, so it is unclear whether her invention was for a machine or a process.

Lady Augusta Ada Byron, Countess of Lovelace: Computer programmer
Ada Lovelace is considered the world's first computer programmer. She originated the concept of using binary numbers, a practice used in all modern computers.

Ada married Lord William Lovelace, and the two sought to develop his “analytical engine.” It was a mechanical computer, using gears and ratchets to perform large mathematical calculations, and was controlled by two series of punched cards. Her main contribution was creating the programming code that ran the machine.

Although the extent of Lovelace's contributions has been debated, the computer world honored her in the 1970s when a programming language adopted by the Defense Department was named Ada.

Mary Walton: Anti-pollution devices
In 1879, Walton developed a system that bubbled factory smoke emissions through water tanks that retained the chemicals, then flushed them into the city's sewage system.

In 1891, she received another patent for an apparatus that reduced noise from elevated train tracks by surrounding the rails with a wood frame that was cotton-lined, painted with tar and filled with sand. These materials absorbed noisy vibrations of passing trains.

Ruth Handler: Barbie doll and breast prosthesis
As co-founder of Mattel Toy Corp., Handler created Barbie, the world's most famous doll and an American icon. Handler developed Barbie into one of history's most successful toys. In 1995, the Barbie brand earned Mattel $1.4 billion in worldwide sales.

But when Handler lost a breast to cancer in 1970, she turned her business acumen toward helping other women who had had mastectomies. After a difficult experience trying to find a suitable prosthesis, Handler had an artifical breast designed and custom-made for her. She then founded Ruthon Corp. with the designer and developed the “Nearly Me” prosthesis, which is more realistic than previous models.

– source: www.inventions.org