In the Winter 2001 issue of The Vertex Angle we asked
the following question.
"What do all of these inventions have in common?
Can you match the invention with the year in which it was invented?"
| Invention | Year |
| Windshield wipers | 1903 |
| A dough product for frozen pizza | 1960 |
| First disposable diaper | 1908 |
| Drip coffee maker | 1914 |
| First dishwasher | 1951 |
| Dandruff shampoo | 1982 |
| Portable hair dryer | 1979 |
| Emulsified Rubber Asphalt | 1962 |
| Bone Marrow Compatibility Test | 1903 |
The Answer
The common element of all of these inventions is that the inventor was a woman. This is particularly interesting, since until the mid-20th century, woman inventors were uncommon. The inventors and the patent dates a given below.
- Windshield wipers - Mary Anderson in 1903.
- Dandruff shampoo - Jose Stewart, also in 1903.
- The first dishwasher - Joesphine Cochrane in 1914.
- The first disposable diaper - Marion Donovan in 1951.
- A compact portable hair dryer - Harriet Stern in 1962.
- A dough product for frozen pizza - Rose Totino in 1979.
- The Melitta automatic drip coffee maker - Melitts Benz in 1908.
- Emulsified rubber asphalt - Elaine Thompson in 1982.
- The bone marrow compatibility test - Barbara Bain in 1960.
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