"The little-known stories behind well-known inventions"

Female inventors dominate Women's History Month          By Paul Niemann

[MARCH 23, 2006]  In 1809, Mary Kies made history when she received a patent for her process of weaving straw with silk. The history-making part of her story wasn't that she invented a new process of making a hat, but rather that she was the first woman to receive a U.S. patent.

To recognize the achievements of women as part of Women's History Month, during March, the education department here at Invention Mysteries World Headquarters presents you with a quiz. See if you can figure out the correct answer to each of the seven questions about women inventors.

1. This lady developed the computer language known as COBOL, which stands for COmmon Business Oriented Language, in 1959 while she was in the Navy. In fact, she was also the Navy's first female admiral, and she coined the term, "computer bug" when a moth flew into her computer and caused it to malfunction.

1. Ruth Handler
2. Marie Curie
3. Grace Murray Hopper
4. Margaret Knight

2. She invented Liquid Paper in 1956 and later sold it to Gillette for $47 million plus royalties. She also raised a Monkee.

1. Mary Anderson
2. Hedy Lamar
3. Bette Nesmith
4. Margaret Knight

3. She co-founded Mattel in 1959 when she introduced the Barbie doll, which was named for her daughter. The Ken doll was named for their son.

1. Marion Donovan
2. Ruth Wakefield
3. Ruth Handler
4. Margaret Knight

4. In 1903, she became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize in physics.

1. Stephain Kwolek
2. Ann Moore
3. Marie Curie
4. Margaret Knight

5. Born in 1867, she was the first black female inventor to achieve millionaire status with her inventions. She created a new hair care process and also developed a line of cosmetics while employing more than 3,000 people.

1. Patsy Sherman
2. Mary Anderson
3. Sarah Breedlove Walker, aka Madame C.J. Walker
4. Margaret Knight

6. This 3M chemist invented Scotchgard in 1952.

1. Stephain Kwolek
2. Hedy Lamar
3. Patsy Sherman
4. Margaret Knight

7. In addition to being an inventor, this lady was also an industrial engineer. The story of her family with her husband, Frank, is the basis for the movie "Cheaper by the Dozen."

1. Jamie Lee Curtis
2. Christie Brinkley
3. Lillian Gilbreth
4. Margaret Knight

Answers: 1. Grace Murray Hopper; 2. Bette Nesmith, mother of Monkees guitarist Michael Nesmith; 3. Ruth Handler; 4. Marie Curie; 5. Sarah Breedlove Walker; 6. Patsy Sherman; 7. Lillian Gilbreth.

And just who was Margaret Knight?

In 1871 she invented the machine that makes the square-bottom paper bags, and that type of bag is still used today.

As for the other women mentioned above, here is what they invented: Mary Anderson invented windshield wipers in 1903; Hedy Lamar was the co-inventor, in 1942, of an device that manipulated radio frequencies to prevent the Nazis from intercepting radio-guided torpedoes in World War II; and Marion Donovan invented the disposable diaper in 1950.

Ruth Wakefield created the Toll House cookie recipe; Stephain Kwolek invented Kevlar in 1965; Ann Moore invented the Snugli baby carrier in 1969; Jamie Lee Curtis invented a diaper that holds a pre-moistened baby wipe; and Christie Brinkley created a set of educational blocks for kids.

[Paul Niemann]

Paul Niemann may be reached at [e-mail]. You can learn more about Invention Mysteries by visiting the official Invention Mysteries website.

Copyright Paul Niemann 2006

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