20 inventions by women that changed the world

Chemotherapy had long since been a thing before Jane C. Wright, but it was her research with methotrexate that helped push along treatments for both skin and breast cancer.

Women wore undergarments for their chests in the past, but it wasn’t until 1913 that the modern-day bra, as we know it, came to be, thanks to a 19-year-old named Mary Phelps Jacob. It changed the way women’s clothing fit and comfort in women’s everyday lives.

The story goes that Mary Anderson came up with the idea for windshield wipers on a snowy day in 1903.

Bessie Griffin was a lot of things, including a handwriting expert and physical therapist but it was her work as a nurse that led to her inventing one of the most important pieces of medical technology today, the feeding tube, in 1948.

Steam-powered vehicles were around in the 1700s, with the modern-day vehicle coming about in 1886. However, it would take the ingenuity of Margaret A. Wilcox to realize that people didn’t need to ride around freezing in the colder months. She figured out just how to get heat into cars. Now, no one has to drive around in huge coats during the winter months.

She might just be a doll to some, but to millions of kids around the world Barbie is a best friend, a door to endless hours of imagination, and an icon, and that is all thanks to Ruth Handler, who introduced Barbie to the world in 1959. Since then Barbie has shown kids that they can be and do anything, inspired countless playthings, and even a 2023 blockbuster movie.

While Abraham Wivell came up with something called an escape chute, Anna Conelly went on to patent the modern-day fire escape known today in 1887, saving countless lives.

While author Jules Verne is often considered the father of science fiction, the mother came long before him when Mary Shelley dropped Frankenstein when she was only 21 in 1818. Without her contribution, who knows where the world of sci-fi would be today?

Who else is grateful for Lillian Moller Gilbreth’s invention that has been helping hide smells and trash in kitchens since the 1920s?

Madam C. J. Walker suffered from a hair condition, which led her to develop a hair product that worked for her and other African-American people. This led to her not only revolutionizing the hair care product market but also becoming the first Black woman to be a self-made millionaire in America. Today, the Black hair industry is worth some $2.5 billion.

Cataract surgery dates back to the 1700s, but it wasn’t until the 1980s, when Dr. Patricia Bath came along, that the surgery was elevated using her new device and technique, known as laser phaco, revolutionizing eye care.

If you’re ever wondering just how you can avoid those unknown and unwanted callers, it’s because of a theoretical physicist. Yes, a theoretical physicist named Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson is the reason people are able to see who’s calling and ignore them, saving them a whole lot of time not bothering with unnecessary conversations.

Before it was Monopoly, it was called The Landlord’s Game and was invented by Elizabeth Magie in the early 1900s. Since then, it’s been adapted into what it is known as today and remade into endless variations, including The Simpsons, Star Wars, and Friends — just to name a few.

Marion Donovan noticed a need in the world for an easier way to clean up babies and, with that, came up with what would eventually be the disposable diaper.

In 1991, Ann Tsukamoto really did move mountains with her research when she co-patented a way to isolate stem cells, leading modern medicine in the right direction when it came to treating diseases like certain breast cancers.

While some would like to think it was Elvis or The Beatles, real music historians know that Sister Rosetta Tharpe is the real foundation for rock and roll. She took the power of gospel and paired it with the electric guitar, birthing a sound that has been one of the most invigorating in music since.

Adeline D. T. Whitney was an author who realized children needed more than just books to learn the basics of reading. With that, the alphabet blocks kids still utilize today were born.

Be thankful for Marie Van Brittan Brown because there would be no home security system without her. She was behind the initial closed-circuit television security system that led to the plethora of security systems in place today.

Gertrude Elion won a Nobel Peace Prize for her research and development of acyclovir, a medication that has since gone on to help patients with everything from herpes to shingles.

In the 1800s, Ada Lovelace came up with an algorithm for a machine — leading the mathematician to become the first computer programmer. Of course, Silicon Valley would later become a boys’ club, but the real reason any of it exists can be traced back to one remarkably smart woman.