[www.keralites.net] 11 Really Cool Things You Probably Didn't Know Were Invented By Women!

 

11 Really Cool Things You Probably Didn't Know Were Invented By Women! The word 'invention' is synonymous with men. Well, mostly! The names that run through my mind every time someone talks about inventions are Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison and the Wright brothers, among many others. While one invented the telephone, the other one did a fabulous job of inventing a light bulb. As for the Wright brothers, they did humankind a big favour by inventing airplanes. But except for Madam Curie, who invented radioactivity, there are hardly any names of women inventors that come to the mind when we talk about inventions. Does that mean there are no amazing things invented by women? Of course not! On this Women's Day, let's take a look at some of the amazing divas who gave the world some of the best things that we still use (mind you), but unfortunately don't know about. Without further ado, here are some of the best inventions made by women: 1. Beer The individual who actually invented beer is unknown, but according to research conducted by historian Jane Peyton, brewing beer was a woman's domain for thousands of years. According a 2010 Telegraph piece, "Nearly 7,000 years ago in Mesopotamia and Sumeria, so important were [women's] skills that they were the only ones allowed to brew the drink or run any taverns." Beer was, in fact, considered a gift from the goddess. So next time you go out drinking beer with your fellas, don't forget make a toast to womankind. 2. Chocolate Chip Cookies This might sound a little obvious but the idea of putting small chips of chocolates in your boring stack of cookies is one hell of an invention. And it was a woman who did so! In 1930, a woman named Ruth Wakefield was making cookies for guests and realised that she was out of baker's chocolate. She broke up pieces of a Nestle semi-sweet chocolate bar, thinking that the chocolate would mix in and melt during baking, but it didn't. Instead, it gave birth to chocolate chip cookies! Cool, isn't it? 3. Computer Software If you thought most women are technologically challenged, you have to read this. The first ever computer software was invented by a woman! Dr Grace Murray Hopper, a computer scientist, invented COBOL, the first user-friendly business computer software program in the 1950s. She was even awarded the first ever Computer Science Man of the Year Award in 1969! 4. Monopoly This board game is perhaps the best childhood memory for many people. Didn't we all love buying property and thinking of ourselves as super rich tycoons? In fact, we had our own Indianised version of Monopoly called 'Business'. From going to jail to paying hefty taxes for our expensive hotels and houses, this engaging game was a sweet memory for most of us. So, Monopoly, which was originally called The Landlord's Game, was invented by Elizabeth Magie in 1903. Magie was inspired to create The Landlord's Game "to demonstrate the tragic effects of land-grabbing." Social cause and entertainment, all in one! 5. Windshield Wiper Who would have thought that a woman could invent a simple yet vital thing and save us from poor weather conditions? Well, I sure didn't! It was in the year 1903 that Mary Anderson noticed drivers stopping to clear snow and ice off their windshields. She then came up with the windshield wiper — an arm with a rubber blade that could be activated without getting out of your car. She even applied for a patent in 1904, and it was issued in 1905. 6. Ice Cream Maker Well, ice cream and women have a long-running affair. From moping over failed relationships to getting over PMS, ice cream is the best antidote to all our woes. Now, we don't have to work our asses off to make ice cream and then relish it. But back then it was Nancy Johnson who invented an ice cream maker. In 1843, Nancy patented a design that made ice cream, which is still used to the current day! We don't know what else to say other than thank you, Nancy Johnson. Thank you very much!   7. Medical syringe All the people working in the scientific arena are doing a great job. So much so that we have cures for many lethal diseases today. But do you ever wonder who invented injections? It was a woman named Letitia Geer who invented a medical syringe that could be operated with only one hand in 1899. Do remember her the next time your doctor injects you with only one hand. 8. Refrigerator We can't survive without a refrigerator today and we have Florence Parpart to thank for it. It was her, who invented the modern electric refrigerator in 1914. In 1900, Parpart also received a patent for a vastly improved street-cleaning machine, which she marketed and sold to cities across America. 9. Coffee Maker Coffee addiction is pretty common these days. Many of us can't begin a day without a hot cup of coffee. And the bitter the better, isn't it? Melitta Bentz, a German housewife, invented the coffee machine in 1908. One day, Bentz wanted that strong kick of coffee without bitter grounds. So she designed her very own coffee machine with a filter by layering the bottom of her coffee pot with her son's notebook paper! Yes, you read that right. Surprisingly, it actually ended up working and Melitta had her invention patented as a "Filter Top Device Lined with Filter Paper." 10. DNA helix Even though the discovery of the DNA double helix is attributed to Watson and Crick, who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology in 1962, it was not actually theirs to claim. Rosalind Franklin, a British biophysicist, was the first person to capture a photographic image by observing molecules using X-ray diffraction (we've got no idea what this is either, so don't worry). The big question is that why she wasn't credited for this. Well, according to a theory, an estranged male colleague of hers showed her photograph to competitors Watson and Crick (without her permission, obviously), and the rest as they say, is his-story. And last but not the least is Madam Curie who went on to prove that one can split an atom. This was one of the major discoveries made by Marie Curie whilst she was studying 'radioactive' elements. Marie Curie received her first Nobel Prize for the discovery of radioactivity and her second for her discovery of polonium and radium. She was the first person to win two Nobel Prizes! Kudos to girl power!

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Posted by: Kakdi Raita <kakdiriata@gmail.com>

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