Celebrating Women

This Women’s History Month, we looked at just a few of the trailblazing women that made the world what it is today. These are just a few of their stories.

In the early 1900s, travel by streetcar could be slow if the weather was anything but sunny. Drivers sometimes had to stop, get out of the streetcar, and clear the windows from outside.

Observing this, Mary Anderson had an idea: a lever inside the vehicle that controlled a spring-loaded rubber blade outside, held to the windshield by a counterweight.  Unlike today’s wipers, Mary’s could be removed in nice weather. By 1922, cars were becoming more popular and Cadillac became the first manufacturer to adopt wipers as standard equipment.

Sadly, Anderson never profited – her patent had expired 2 years earlier.

1832 Sicily – Scientist Jeanne Villepreux Power needed a better way to observe and study the aquatic nautilus. Her groundbreaking solution? The first glass aquarium. Because of her invention, classrooms, laboratories, and even living rooms became windows into a marine universe teeming with life and color.

In the late 19th century, one woman dared to dream of a more efficient way to tackle the daily chore of dishwashing. Enter Josephine Cochrane, a visionary inventor with a passion for both practicality and elegance.

In a stroke of brilliance that would revolutionize domestic life, Josephine crafted a contraption that would not only save time but also liberate countless hands from the drudgery of scrubbing pots, pans, and plates.

Her dishwasher wasn’t merely a convenience; it was a symbol of progress, breaking down barriers and paving the way for future generations of women to pursue their passions beyond the confines of traditional gender roles.

And who could forget the GED grad who made it possible to erase our mistakes?

Or the GED grad who runs marathons, pilots airplanes, and started her own nonprofit?

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