10 female inventors you should know about
(Originally posted at one.org – please visit them)
You’ve all heard of famous inventors such Thomas Jefferson (The Great Clock), Alexander Graham Bell (telephone) and Benjamin Franklin (bifocal glasses), but do you know who Grace Hopper and Stephanie Kwolek are?



4. Ann Tsukamoto – Stem cell isolation

5. Grace Hopper – The Computer

6. Elizabeth Magie – Monopoly

Speaking of a time before the computer, no childhood memories would be complete without the recollection of getting into a tizz about your brother stealing from the bank, or not passing GO…
Originally called The Landlord’s Game and a critique of the injustices of unchecked capitalism, the idea was stolen by a fella named Charles Darrow and sold to Parker Brothers. The company did eventually track down Elizabeth Magie, but only offered her $500 for her invention!
7. Rosalind Franklin – DNA double helix

Rosalind Franklin, a British biophysicist, was the first person to capture a photographic image using a technique she had honed: observing molecules using X-ray diffraction (nope, we’ve got no idea what this is either, don’t worry).
Why was she never credited for this?! Well, without her permission, an estranged male colleague of hers showed her photograph to competitors Watson and Crick, and the rest as they say, is his-story.
8. Maria Beasley – The life raft

9. Stephanie Kwolek – Kevlar

Although this invention was an accident, it makes it no less loved! This material, which is five times stronger than steel, is used in bicycle tires, racing sails, body armor, frying pans, musical instruments and building construction, thanks to its tensile strength-to-weight ratio (again, no idea). What isn’t it in?
10. Dr. Shirley Jackson – Research that lead to the invention of all things telecommunication

The theoretical physicist was the first black woman to receive a Ph.D. from MIT, in 1973. While working at Bell Laboratories, she conducted breakthrough scientific research with subatomic particles that enabled others to invent the portable fax, touch tone telephone, solar cells, fiber optic cables, and the technology behind caller ID and call waiting. Imagine all the important information you would have missed without this amazing woman!
(Originally posted at one.org)
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Cheers
iamwill