Women have impacted so much of our history and during this month we celebrate them. This March, it's Women’s History Month, so we want to take a moment to commemorate the incredible inventions and ideas created by women. Let’s go over some of the more memorable ones. From medicine, to home care, to food and more, women have touched every department in the world and revolutionized each and every one in ways only women can. 

The Home Security System

This system was created by Marie Van Brittan Brown, who was a Black nurse who usually worked from early hours in the day to late hours at night. She would go home by dark, and in 1969 she decided that when she did this she wanted to feel safe. The system she created had sliding cameras that looked through four different peepholes in her door. She also added two-way microphones and a button to speed call police or security and a remote to unlock her house. This system, while very new for its time, paved the way for all security systems after it.

Cataract Treatment 

Patricia E. Bath was the first black female doctor who patented a medical device in the US. This was the Laserphaco Probe, which worked to remove cataracts. Cataracts are cloudy films that can lead to vision problems or complete loss. Doctor Bath’s way of removing cataracts was much faster, more efficient, and way less invasive than previously used methods. She got her first patent for the procedure in 1988 in the US, and then received other patents such as four more in the US, one in Japan and Canada, and in Europe as well.

Bulletproof fiber.

Stephanie L. Kwolek, a chemist in the 1960's, creates synthetic fibers while working at DuPont;s Research Lab in Delaware. The most famous type of finders she made is called Kevlar, which is a strong and lightweight and heat-resistant synthetic fiber. She patented the process for making it in 1966. Kevlar is used in bulletproof vests and other protective equipment. It also is a good replacement for asbestos, which is a cancer causing material.

Monopoly

Created in 1904 and originally called “The Landlord's Game”, this game was designed to showcase the unchecked evils of capitalism. This game was invented by a woman named Elizabeth J. Magie. Elizabeth was an independent woman who believed the best way to show the unfair distribution of wealth in America was through a board game. Nearly three decades later, an eerily similar game called “Monopoly'' was created by a man who sold it to the Parker Brothers. 

Women made so many events possible throughout our history and the history we are making today. From computer algorithms that made the moon landing possible to the vaccine for the whooping cough, women have been so present yet so overlooked for so long. Celebrate the women in your life, their history has made your future possible.

Source(s):

• https://www.history.com/news/women-inventions