Female Ingenuity
Updated February 21, 2017 | Factmonster Staff 
A partial list of the many ingenious inventions by women.
| Invention | Inventor | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Antifungal antibiotic (Nystatin) | Rachel Fuller Brown and Elizabeth Lee Hazen | 1957 |
| Barbi Doll | Ruth Handler | 1959 |
| Brassiere | Mary Phelps Jacob | 1913 |
| Battery container | Nancy Perkins | 1986 |
| Beehive | Thiphena Hornbrook | 1861 |
| Cabinet Bed | Sarah Goode | 1885 |
| Canister vacuum | Nancy Perkins | 1987 |
| Car heater | Margaret Wilcox | 1893 |
| Circular saw | Tabitha Babbit | 1812 |
| COBOL (Common Business-Oriented Language) | Grace Hopper | 1959 |
| Computer program | Augusta Ada Byron | 1842 |
| Cooking stove | Elizabeth Hawk | 1867 |
| CPR Mannequin | Dianne Croteau, et al | 1989 |
| Dam and reservoir construction | Harriet Strong | 1887 |
| Direct and return mailing envelope | Beulah Henry | 1962 |
| Dishwasher | Josephine Cochran | 1872 |
| Disposable cell phone | Randi Altschul | 1999 |
| Drinking fountain device | Laurene O'Donnell | 1985 |
| Electric hot water heater | Ida Forbes | 1917 |
| Elevated railway | Mary Walton | 1881 |
| Engine muffler | El Dorado Jones | 1917 |
| Feedback control for data processing | Erna Hoover | 1971 |
| Fire escape | Anna Connelly | 1887 |
| Fireplace damper actuator | Virgie Ammons | 1975 |
| Geobond | Patricia Billings | 1997 |
| Globes | Ellen Fitz | 1875 |
| "Gong and signal chair" | Miriam Benjamin | 1888 |
| Grain storage bin | Lizzie Dickelman | 1920 |
| Hair products for African Americans | Madame C.J. Walker | 1908 |
| Improved animal handling systems in meat plants | Dr. Temple Grandin | 1989 |
| Improved locomotive wheels | Mary Jane Montgomery | 1864 |
| Improvement in dredging machines | Emily Tassey | 1876 |
| Improvement in stone pavements | Emily Gross | 1877 |
| Kevlar, a steel-like fiber used in radial tires, crash helmets, and bulletproof vests | Stephanie Kwolek | 1966 |
| Life raft | Maria Beaseley | 1882 |
| Liquid Paper correction fluid | Bette Nesmith Graham | 1956 |
| Locomotive chimney | Mary Walton | 1879 |
| Medical syringe | Letitia Geer | 1899 |
| Mop-wringer pail | Eliza Wood | 1889 |
| Newborn Scoring System (Apgar Score) | Dr. Virginia Apgar | 1949 |
| Non-reflective glass | Katherine Blodgett | 1938 |
| Oil burner | Amanda Jones | 1880 |
| Optical analysis systems | Dr. Ellen Ochoa | 1987 |
| Permanent wave for the hair | Marjorie Joyner | 1928 |
| Portable screen summer house | Nettie Rood | 1882 |
| Process for isolating human stem cells | Ann Tsukamoto, et al | 1991 |
| Refrigerator | Florence Parpart | 1914 |
| Rolling pin | Catherine Deiner | 1891 |
| Rotary engine | Margaret Knight | 1902 |
| Safety device for elevators | Harriet Tracy | 1892 |
| Signal generator | Dr. Betsy Ancker-Johnson | 1966 |
| Spread spectrum | Hedy Lamarr | 1941 |
| Street cleaning machine | Florence Parpart | 1900 |
| Submarine lamp and telescope | Sara Mather | 1845 |
| Suspenders | Laura Cooney | 1896 |
| Washing machine | Margaret Colvin | 1871 |
| Windshield wiper | Mary Anderson | 1903 |
| Zigzag sewing machine | Helen Blanchard | 1873 |
 Circular saw Library of Congress |
 Fire escape Library of Congress |
 Medical syringe Library of Congress |
 Washing machine Library of Congress |
 Dishwasher Library of Congress |
