Famous Female Inventors

[Andrew Paul]

If you've ever wondered who were the famous female inventors, you're not alone. There are women who made significant contributions to the world of science, including Hedy Lamarr, Audrey Larson, and Patricia Billings. Read on to learn more. In the field of medicine, women have been instrumental in the development of many medical devices.
Stephanie Kwolek

Inventor Stephanie Kwolek is an American woman who made a significant contribution to science and technology. She developed Kevlar fiber, a material with exceptional strength and stiffness, while working for DuPont. Her team had been searching for a fiber that would be lightweight yet stiff and suitable for tire construction. They had previously worked with poly-p-phenylene terephthalate and poly-benzamide. However, these polymers had very poor properties when processed at high temperatures. Therefore, they developed a technique for producing the fibers at lower temperatures. This technique allowed them to produce stiffer, lighter and stronger fibers.
Patricia Billings

Patricia Billings was born in 1926 in Clinton, Missouri, and began her career as a medical technician. She later switched to art and opened her own store in Kansas City. There, she sold plaster of Paris sculptures. She later accidentally broke a swan sculpture.
Hedy Lamarr

Hedy Lamarr, famous female innovator, patented several products that have influenced technology. She began by creating a tablet that would create soda similar to Coca-Cola. Later, she invented an improved stoplight. She also made a drafting table in her home.
Audrey Larson

Audrey Larson has been making inventions since she was in fourth grade. She has won two awards in the past for her design for a foldable bulletproof wall. She also won the Cantor Colburn Patent Award last year for her idea for Carbon Abatement Naturally Over Paved Environments. Her latest invention is a wall-mounted shield.
Giuliana Tesoro

Born in Venice, Italy, Giuliana Tesoro made breakthroughs in the fields of fiber and textile chemistry. She holds more than 120 U.S. patents and has served on the editorial boards of various journals. She was also a research professor at Polytechnic University in Brooklyn.
Dorothy Hodgkin

Dorothy Hodgkin was the eldest daughter of a British colonial administrator and an archaeologist. Her parents were active in North Africa and her father was the director of several institutions. Hodgkin developed her interest in science at an early age. While visiting her parents in North Africa, she discovered a black mineral. She asked a soil scientist friend to help her analyze the mineral. She also obtained a book from William Henry Bragg on the use of X-rays to analyze crystals.
Ella Gaillard

Inventor Ella Gaillard is considered a pioneer in a number of fields. She developed a revolutionary surgical tool - the eyeless needle. This new type of surgical tool has become a staple in modern surgery.
Barbara Gilmour

Barbara Gilmour was a Scottish woman who made a name for herself by inventing a new way of making cheese. The new method became widely popular and brought in extra income to the area and its towns. By the end of the eighteenth century, the method was being used throughout Scotland. Ayrshire was the birthplace of Dunlop cheese, which was patented by Gilmour.
Shirley Jackson

Shirley Ann Jackson was one of the most influential women in the field of science and technology. During her career, she helped develop technologies such as the touch tone telephone and fiber optic cables. She also became a consultant to Bell Labs, where she specialized in semiconductor theory. In 1995, President Clinton appointed her to serve as chair of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, a position she held for almost two years. During this time, she also helped establish the International Nuclear Regulators Association. In 1998, she was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.