I’m sure you have heard the story of Ruth Wakefield, who accidentally “invented” chocolate chips cookies one day when she was making a batch of cookies and did not have any bakers chocolate. Without her we would not have Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Throughout modern history, there have been numerous women inventors that have changed life as we know it. Honestly, there are too many to begin listing. After doing a little research on my own, I have compiled a list of a few. The ones listed below focus on inventions the girls may be familiar with or can relate to. I tended to skip the overly scientific inventions that are hard to visualize or define.
- Mary Anderson (windshield wipers)
- Barbara Askins (a type of film development)
- Tabitha Babbitt (circular saw)
- Maria Beasley (life raft)
- Melitta Bentz (coffee filters)
- Patricia Billings (geo bond)
- Katherine Blodgett (non-reflective lense)
- Sarah Boone (ironing board)
- Josephine Cochran (dishwasher)
- Martha Coston (signal flares)
- Caresse Crosby (bra)
- Mary Delaney (retractable dog leash)
- Catherine Deiner (rolling pin)
- Marion Donovan (disposable diaper)
- Ellen Fitz (globes)
- Ida Forbes (hot water heater)
- Sally Fox (colored cotton)
- Letitia Greer (medical syringe)
- Lilian Gilbreth (foot pedal trash can)
- Sarah Goode (folding bed)
- Bette Nesmith Graham (liquid paper)
- Ruth Handler (Barbie doll)
- Grace Hopper (COBOL – computer programing language)
- Nancy Johnson (ice cream maker)
- Margaret Knight (paper bag machine)
- Stephanie Kwolek (Kevlar)
- Hedy Lamarr (Spread Spectrum Technology)
- Elizabeth Magie (Monopoly)
- Sarah Mather (submarine telescope)
- Ann Moore (Snugli Baby Carrier)
- Lyda Newman (improved hair brush)
- Florence Parpart (street cleaning machine)
- Patsy Sherman (Scotchgard Stain Repellent)
- Maria Telkes (solar house)
I hope this list proves helpful to you. As you are working on this badge, if you find any more that may be of interest to others, please comment below.
NOTE: The requirements have been simplified here. Please be sure to read the full text in the American Heritage Girl Handbook to make sure you fully understand the requirements.
We finished up this badge earlier in the year with my Tenderheart squad. The girls loved the book “Girls Think of Everything” by Catherine Thimmesh. We picked out 5 of the inventors and had the third year girls read the stories to the younger girls. This was one of their favorite badges this year
🙂 I am amazed by how much I learn right along side the girls.
Oh wow!!
So fun!
Who would have knew so many ladies with such simple but BIG impact in our lives today!!
Thank You so much for sharing!
I’m inspired to do this badge with my EX girl!!
Thanks!!
I love reading these comments! I wrote the badge for AHG when my older daughters were in grade school. Now they are both in college as a mechanical engineering major and one in industrial design. It is so good to know that others are benefiting from the opportunity to learn more about the great contributions women have done which impact our lives every day.
Thank you for all your hard work and sacrifices. Without people like you, AHG would not be what it is today.