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This is the second in a multi-part series about women
inventors. Each week, a group of women
will be featured along with their inventions.
If you'd like to know more about a specific inventor, please post a
comment and let us know. We'll try to write follow-up feature articles for
those women inventors who generate the most interest. You can read part one here.
Dishwashing Machine - Josephine
Cochran unveiled her invention at the 1893 World's Fair, but dishwashers
didn't catch on until the 1950's.
Maritime Signal Flare - Martha Coston
invented an elaborate system of flares called Night Signals which allowed ships
to send and receive messages at night.
CPR Mannequin – Dianne
Croteau and her partners, Richard Brault and Jonathan Vinden, invented the
Actar 911 mannequin used to teach CPR.
Disposable Diaper - Marion
Donovan's first invention was a plastic covering for cloth diapers which eventually
led to her invent the disposable diaper.
Leukemia-fighting Drug: 6-mercaptopurine – Gertrude Elion
invented a leukemia-fighting drug and made several other significant
contributions to the medical field, including drugs that facilitated kidney
transplants.
Home Diabetes Test - Helen
Free along with her husband, Alfred Free, were the world's leading experts
on urinalysis.
Petroleum Refining Method – Edith
Flanigen is one of the most inventive chemists of all time. Her work made the production of Zeolyte Y (an alumino-silicate)
commercially viable.
FoxFiber - Sally Fox
invented a strong, long-fibered, colored cotton that took advantage of an
almost forgotten, naturally-occurring plant. At the time, colored cotton had
been almost forgotten, having fallen out of favor because of the popularity of long-fibered,
all-white cotton. .
Prosthetic Breast – Ruth
Handler, the inventor of the Barbie Doll and co-founder of Mattel, invented
a prosthetic breast after suffering from breast cancer.
Computerized Telephone
Switching System – Erna Schneider
Hoover invented a computerized telephone-switching system that monitored
incoming calls and automatically adjusted the call-acceptance rate, helping to
eliminate overloading problems.
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