Diapers, caller IDs, choc-chip cookies, live saving drugs – things women invented

Mar 6, 2023

By: Sourabh Jain

Credit: Maruti Suzuki

Fire escapes

Anna Connelly invented fire escapes in 1887 to prevent the deaths of people living in multi-story buildings.

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Collapsible life raft

Maria Beasley invented collapsible life rafts in 1880, which took less space than traditional wooden lifeboats.

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Windshield wipers

Mary Anderson invented windshield wipers after visiting New York City on a snowy day in 1902. They have now become an essential part of cars.

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Kevlar

Stephanie Kwolek, while working on finding a lightweight fiber for tires at the DuPont Company in 1964, accidentally invented Kevlar, which is five times stronger than steel.

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The Landlord’s Game

Elizabeth Magie developed The Landlord’s Game in 1904, which was later copied to create Monopoly in 1935.

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Caller ID and call waiting

Caller ID and call waiting, two features we regularly use, were developed by Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson between 1976 and 1991.

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Drugs for leukemia, herpes and AIDS

Gertrude Elion and George Hitchings developed the first effective drug for treating leukemia, herpes, AIDS, and other diseases.

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Spray-on skin for burn victims

Dr. Fiona Wood developed spray-on skin along with Marie Stoner, used to treat burn victims.

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Disposable diaper

Marion Donovan developed the disposable paper diaper in 1946. Her idea was later used by Victor Mills, the creator of Pampers.

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Chocolate-chip cookies

Ruth Wakefield accidentally created chocolate-chip cookies in 1930 while baking cookies using Nestle’s chocolate bar.

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I grew up in London and moved to New York a year ago. 7 differences have shocked me, from how expensive NYC is to tipping culture.