Hearing about discoveries initiated by women, most of us will think of Marie Curie. She is a female scientist and winner of the Nobel Prize for her discovery of radioactivity.
However, all the discoveries created by women are not only in the field of science. Some of the items we use today could have been invented by other great women.
Like these six women whose names you probably won't find in textbooks. Even so, they have been very instrumental in creating goods that make our lives easier.
What are these items and who is their creator? Reporting from Reader's Digest, here are 6 inventions initiated by women that you must know about.
1. Monopoly Game
Monopoly Game /Photo: Pexels/Anete Lusina
The monopoly game that we often play was created by Elizabeth Magie. He created the game as a criticism of the capitalist system.
Initially, he named the game 'The Landlord's Game' in 1904. However, his idea was stolen by Charles Darrow and sold to the Parker Brothers in the 1930s. The man received millions of dollars in royalties.
Feeling aggrieved, Magie stated to the local newspaper that the monopoly game was her idea. Unfortunately, he only received 500 USD in profit from the Parker Brothers.
2. Home Security System
Illustration of a Home Security System /Photo: Freepik/fabrikasimf
Marie Van Brittan Brown is a nun who often lives alone at home. Her husband has different working hours than her.
Feeling afraid in her own home, she and her husband patented a home security system in the 1960s. At that time, the borough of Queens, United States, was famous for its high crime rate.
The home security device has a camera that displays the outside and can be monitored via video connected to the TV. Apart from that, the alarm in this device makes the occupants of the house feel safe.
3. Automatic Dishwasher
Automatic Dishwasher /Photo: Freepik
The inventor of the automatic dishwasher is a woman named Josephine Cochrane. He comes from a wealthy and highly educated family.
One day, Cochrane was annoyed with his servant who often broke dishes while washing them. He looked for other alternatives so that this wouldn't happen again and created an automatic dishwasher.
He patented it in 1886 and founded a company to make the machine. Many hotel and restaurant companies buy these machines. Until now, the company still stands strong under the name KitchenAid.
4. Car Window Wipers
Wiper Kaca Mobil /Photo: Freepik/pvproductions
It turns out that car windshield wipers were initiated by a woman named Mary Anderson. He was inspired by the incident when his driver had to manually clean the snow from the car window.
Anderson also started making car windshield wipers that were made from rubber and could be moved from inside the car. He invented the tool for the first time and patented it in 1903.
Even though wipers are standard in cars today, they never get royalties for their services. Because his work was ridiculed by car companies because it was considered to be annoying to the driver.
5. Pedal Trash Can
Pedal Trash Can /Photo: Freepik/wirestock
Trash cans are items full of germs. Luckily, Lillian Moller Gillbert makes a foot pedal trash can. So, we don't have to open the lid of the trash can with our bare hands.
Gillbert's services don't stop there. He also created other household items such as refrigerator shelves and hoses for draining waste water from washing machines.
6. Coffee Grounds Filter Paper
Coffee Grounds Filter Paper /Photo: Freepik
In the 1900s, baristas did not have coffee filters. They use cloth where the coffee grounds remain mixed with the coffee.
Until one day, a housewife named Melitta Bentz looked for a way to improve the quality of her coffee. Bentz used blank ink paper from his children's book.
He was surprised that the coffee grounds could be filtered, plus the quality of the coffee was getting better. This made him the inventor of the paper coffee filter. Then, he founded a company that sold coffee, coffee filters and other equipment needed for baristas.
It turns out, many inventions were initiated by women, yes, Beauties. Their stories remind us that women can work in their respective fields.
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