Celebrating the Women Who Have Driven Auto Innovation Cari Shane
Of the women in history who became famous for their inventions, Hedy Lamarr (pictured above) may be one of the most recognizable. But most people probably know her as one of the biggest movie stars of the 1930s and 40s, not because of her work that helped make Bluetooth and GPS possible.
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As the U.S. Department of Transportation notes on its website, the invention of the car gave women ample opportunity for invention. In 1920, a federal agency known as the Women s Bureau was established to represent the needs of wage-earning women in the public policy process. Three years later, roughly half of the 345 inventions listed under Transportation in the bureau s bulletin were related to autos, including traffic signals, turn indicators, a carburetor, a clutch mechanism, and an electric engine starter.
9 Groundbreaking Inventions by Women
Women inventors are behind a wide range of key innovations, from Kevlar to dishwashers to better life rafts.
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Women inventors are behind a wide range of key innovations, from Kevlar to dishwashers to better life rafts.
Female inventors have played a large role in U.S. history, but haven’t always received credit for their work. Besides the fact that their contributions have sometimes been downplayed over overlooked, women particularly women of color have historically had fewer resources to apply for U.S. patents and market their inventions.
Not all of the female inventors on this list received attention for their work in their lifetime, or were able to market their inventions. But all of them contributed innovations that helped advance technology in their respective fields.