Mothers of Invention They say necessity is the mother of invention. But mothers are the mothers of these inventions for kids. Invention Inventor Year Alphabet blocks Adeline Whitney 1882 Ansa baby bottle Nickie Campbell 1984 Baby Einstein videos Julie Aigner-Clark 1997 Baby jumper Jane Wells 1872 Barney (the purple dinosaur) Sheryl Leach 1988 Careerpals dolls Linda Stockdale 1991 Diapers Maria Allen 1887 Disposable diapers Marion Donovan 1951 Flexible kite Gertrude Rogallo 1951 Folding crib Sarah Neal 1894 Infant carrier (Snugli) Agnes Auckerman & Ann Moore 1962 Movable doll eyes Beulah Henry 1935 School desk Anna Breadin 1889 Zoothbrush (easy to grasp, fanciful toothbrushes) Susan Harrison 1993 Female Ingenuity A partial list of the many ingenious inventions by women. Invention Inventor Year Antifungal antibiotic (Nystatin) Rachel Fuller Brown and 1957 Elizabeth Lee Hazen Barbi Doll Ruth Handler 1959 Brassiere Mary Phelps Jacob 1913 Battery container Nancy Perkins 1986 Beehive Thiphena Hornbrook 1861 Cabinet Bed Sarah Goode 1885 Canister vacuum Nancy Perkins 1987 Brought to you by The Book Farm, Inc. Courtesy of factmonster.com For Ordering or More Information: 866-744-8093. 1 Car heater Margaret Wilcox 1893 Circular saw Tabitha Babbit 1812 COBOL (Common Business-Oriented Language) Grace Hopper 1959 Computer program Augusta Ada Byron 1842 Cooking stove Elizabeth Hawk 1867 CPR Mannequin Dianne Croteau, et al 1989 Dam and reservoir construction Harriet Strong 1887 Direct and return mailing envelope Beulah Henry 1962 Dishwasher Josephine Cochran 1872 Disposable cell phone Randi Altschul 1999 Drinking fountain device Laurene O'Donnell 1985 Electric hot water heater Ida Forbes 1917 Elevated railway Mary Walton 1881 Engine muffler El Dorado Jones 1917 Feedback control for data processing Erna Hoover 1971 Fire escape Anna Connelly 1887 Fireplace damper actuator Virgie Ammons 1975 Geobond Patricia Billings 1997 Globes Ellen Fitz 1875 "Gong and signal chair" Miriam Benjamin 1888 Grain storage bin Lizzie Dickelman 1920 Hair products for African Americans Madame C.J. Walker 1908 Improved animal handling systems in meat plants Dr. Temple Grandin 1989 Improved locomotive wheels Mary Jane Montgomery 1864 Improvement in dredging machines Emily Tassey 1876 Improvement in stone pavements Emily Gross 1877 Kevlar, a steel-like fiber used in radial tires, crash Stephanie Kwolek 1966 helmets, and bulletproof vests Life raft Maria Beaseley 1882 Liquid Paper correction fluid Bette Nesmith Graham 1956 Locomotive chimney Mary Walton 1879 Medical syringe Letitia Geer 1899 Mop-wringer pail Eliza Wood 1889 Newborn Scoring System (Apgar Score) Dr. Virginia Apgar 1949 Brought to you by The Book Farm, Inc. Courtesy of factmonster.com For Ordering or More Information: 866-744-8093. 2 Non-reflective glass Katherine Blodgett 1938 Oil burner Amanda Jones 1880 Optical analysis systems Dr. Ellen Ochoa 1987 Permanent wave for the hair Marjorie Joyner 1928 Portable screen summer house Nettie Rood 1882 Process for isolating human stem cells Ann Tsukamoto, et al 1991 Refrigerator Florence Parpart 1914 Rolling pin Catherine Deiner 1891 Rotary engine Margaret Knight 1902 Safety device for elevators Harriet Tracy 1892 Signal generator Dr. Betsy Ancker-Johnson 1966 Spread spectrum Hedy Lamarr 1941 Street cleaning machine Florence Parpart 1900 Submarine lamp and telescope Sara Mather 1845 Suspenders Laura Cooney 1896 Washing machine Margaret Colvin 1871 Windshield wiper Mary Anderson 1903 Zigzag sewing machine Helen Blanchard 1873 Brought to you by The Book Farm, Inc. Courtesy of factmonster.com For Ordering or More Information: 866-744-8093. 3 .