Female Inventors

Another one from Dora asks “What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers all have in common?”

If I have this right, they are all invented by women

I cannot find who invented the first true ballistics vest (in todays standards), and may well have been a woman working for the US government, but Casmir Zeglen was the first to coin the idea of using layers (of slik) to slow projectiles. I think this question was aimed at kevlar though, which was invented by Stephanie Kwolek in 1985.

The windsheild wiper arm was invented by Mary Anderson in 1905

The fire escape was “invented” by Anna Connelly in 1887. I use that term loosely, as I’m not sure if it’s the ladder at the back of appartment blocks, or simply having routes out of a building designated as fire escapes.

Laser printers though, are a doosey, as I cannot find anything linking them to a woman. It was invented by Gary Starkweather.

For a slightly more comprehencive list of female inventors, click here

Triga@ask-me-anything