In our technology-dominated world, it’s easy to forget the human minds that gave rise to the devices and digital tools that permeate everyday life. And the women behind those innovations are often the first to be forgotten.
Whether you realize it or not, you owe women inventors a big thank you for creating many of the technologies you depend on. Their inventions help you surf the internet, get from point A to point B, keep your home safe, and so much more. Here are six women whose contributions to science and technology helped shape our modern world.
1. Hedy Lamarr (1914-2000), “the mother of WiFi”
A publicity photo of Hedy Lamarr, taken for her film The Heavenly Body in 1944 © Wikimedia Commons
Hedy Lamarr, born Hedwig Eva Kiesler, was a Hollywood actress best known for her role in the romantic biblical drama Samson and Delilah. Behind the scenes of her sparkling acting career, Lamarr nurtured a fascination with inventing.
Lamarr worked on her inventions during her off hours and even between takes on set, using a small set of equipment she kept in her trailer. In 1940, Lamarr met American pianist, composer, and inventor George Antheil. The two connected over their growing concerns about World War II and began brainstorming new technologies that could help the U.S. combat the Axis powers.
Lamarr and Antheil designed a new communication system to guide torpedoes to their targets. The system involved “frequency hopping”—jumping between different frequencies of radio waves—with both the transmitter and the receiver hopping to new frequencies together. This prevented interception of the radio waves, thus helping torpedoes locate their intended targets.
Their frequency hopping technology later gave way to WiFi, GPS, and Bluetooth. Following her death in 2000, Lamarr was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame for her achievement. Today, she’s known as “the mother of WiFi.”
2. Grace Murray Hopper (1906-1992), programming pioneer
Grace Murray Hopper was a mathematician and naval officer best known today for her pioneering work in computer programming. After receiving her commission as lieutenant (junior grade), Hopper was assigned to the Bureau of Ships Computation Project at Harvard University, where she joined a team working on the Harvard MARK 1 computer.
This massive electromechanical computer, built by IBM in the 1940s, was the first in the U.S. Led by Howard Aiken, who developed the MARK 1, Hopper and her colleagues performed calculated rocket trajectories, created range tables for new anti-aircraft guns, and calibrated minesweepers to aid the war effort. Hopper also wrote the over 500-page manual for MARK 1.
When World War II ended, Hopper turned down a professorship at Vassar College to focus on programming, according to Yale University. While working on the first commercial electronic computer—UNIVAC I—in the early 1950s, she pioneered the idea of automatic programming and developed the first computer compiler, paving the way for modern programming languages.
In 1953, Hopper began developing an English-language compiler to allow people to write programs in words rather than symbols. Her work continued to propel computing into the modern era through the latter half of the 20th century, laying the foundation for the software and programming languages of today.
3. Stephanie L. Kwolek (1923-2014), creator of kevlar
Ever heard of Kevlar? Even if you haven’t, chances are you’ve probably used it. This synthetic fiber is used in protective outerwear like jackets and gloves, luggage, workout equipment, consumer electronics, bulletproof vests, and much more. It’s lightweight, heat-resistant, highly durable, and five times stronger than steel.
© Science History Institute via Wikimedia Commons
The woman behind this versatile material is Stephanie L. Kwolek, an American chemist who got her start as a polymer researcher at DuPont. A few decades into her career, DuPont tasked her with developing the next generation of fibers capable of withstanding extreme conditions. Kwolek got to work preparing intermediates, synthesizing aromatic polyamides of high molecular weight, dissolving them in solvents, and spinning the solutions into fibers.
Under certain conditions, large numbers of the rod-shaped polyamide molecules arranged themselves in parallel lines. The resulting solutions were unlike any polymer solutions previously synthesized in the lab, and Kwolek found that she could spin them into strong, stiff fibers that are known today as Kevlar.
4. Mary Anderson (1866-1953), inventor of the windshield wiper
Next time you’re driving in inclement weather, say thank you to Mary Anderson, inventor of the windshield wiper. Anderson—an American real estate developer with no professional background in science or engineering—came up with the idea while riding a trolley car through New York City on a snowy day.
In order to see, her driver kept the windows rolled down and occasionally stopped to wipe the snow and ice off the windshields with his hands, according to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In the early 20th century, reduced visibility due to precipitation was a problem drivers simply accepted and learned to deal with in their own ways. Anderson figured there must be a better way.
She designed a spring-loaded arm with a rubber blade that could be attached to the base of the windshield. When activated via a lever inside the car, the arm would sweep across the glass, clearing away rain, snow, or ice. Others had designed similar devices before, but Anderson’s was the first that worked. She patented it in 1903, and her basic design is still in use today.
5. Marie van Brittan Brown (1922-1999), creator of the CCTV security system
A sketch of Marie van Brittan Brown, inventor of the first CCTV security system © Wikimedia Commons
Inventor Marie van Brittan Brown is best known for creating the first closed-circuit television (CCTV) security system, spearheading the development of modern security systems that protect homes, banks, offices, and businesses today.
Brown began her career as a nurse, living and working in Queens, New York. Her husband, Albert Brown, worked as an electronics technician. Both of them worked irregular hours, and Brown often found herself alone at night. Feeling vulnerable, she began devising a way to be able to see who was at her door without opening it.
She and her husband invented a security system that consisted of four peepholes, a sliding camera, television monitors, and two-way microphones, according to MIT. It was the first CCTV security system.
With the microphones, Brown could communicate with people outside, and the four peepholes and sliding camera allowed the system to capture images of people at different heights. She even invented a remote that allowed her to unlock the door from a safe distance and a panic button that would alert police of an intruder. Brown patented the technology in 1969, and the invention was ultimately cited in 32 subsequent patent applications.
6. Gladys B. West (b. 1930), built the foundation of GPS
The Global Positioning System, or GPS, plays a ubiquitous role in modern life. Beyond helping you get from place to place, this satellite-based navigation system is used across a wide variety of sectors, including logistics, construction, defense, emergency services, and so much more.
Mathematician Gladys B. West played an integral role in developing this technology. She began her career as a computer programmer in 1956 at the Naval Proving Ground—known today as the Naval Support Facility Dahlgren—in Virginia.
During her 42 years of service, she worked on complex algorithms that could account for variations in gravitational, tidal, and other forces that distort Earth’s shape. She programmed the IBM 7030 computer to create an extremely accurate model of Earth’s shape, optimized for what later became the GPS orbit that satellites use.
West’s contributions to satellite geodesy and other satellite measurements honed the accuracy of GPS. This technology would not be what it is today without her work, but ironically, she told the Atlanta Black Star in 2018 that she still prefers a paper map when she drives.
