Since March is women’s history month, it’s a good time to celebrate all the brilliant and amazing things women have done since the beginning of time. So here are some of the things we’ve come to depend on in our modern lives that were invented by women.
Coffee filters - Since most of us enjoy drinking our cup of joe without having to spit out the grounds, we can thank German entrepreneur Melitta Bentz for inventing the coffee filter back in 1908.
Beer - No one’s exactly sure who actually first came up with the invention, but beer historian Jane Peyton says that 7,000 years ago in Mesopotamia, women were the only ones allowed to brew beer or run the taverns.
Windshield wipers - While men created the first autos, they didn’t consider how bad weather would affect seeing out of them. So in 1903, Mary Anderson patented a “window cleaning device for electric cars and other vehicles to remove snow, ice, or sleet.”
Computer software - We can thank computer scientist Dr. Grace Hopper for inventing the first ever user-friendly business computer software back in the 1950s. She even got a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom last year from President Obama for her contributions.
Modern electric refrigerators - Of course a woman found a way to make this essential appliance! Credit goes to Florence Parpart for creating the modern fridge in 1914.
Retractable dog leashes - Way back in 1908, New York City resident Mary A. Delaney patented the first retractable dog leash, and we’re grateful every time we walk our furry friends.
Chocolate chip cookies - Some may argue that these are not so much an invention, but Ruth Wakefield is the woman behind our beloved sweet treats. The story goes that when the owner of the Toll House Inn was making cookies for guests, she ran out of baker’s chocolate and crumpled up a Nestle chocolate bar in the mix, thinking it would melt in the dough in the oven. And when it didn’t, everyone’s favorite cookie was created.
Source: The Berry