Ever since elementary school, students have repeatedly learned about famous scientists and inventors who have developed groundbreaking creations without which life today would not be the same. Some of history’s most eminent inventors include Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison, the Wright brothers, Steve Jobs, Alexander Graham Bell, and others. However, it is crucial to ask yourselves: what is one obvious detail that they all have in common? The answer is that they are all male. What happened to the notable female inventors who have also contributed tremendously to our world today? Why hasn’t history provided them equal recognition? In fact, there are plenty of everyday gadgets and resources people use today and have no idea that were invented by women. In celebration of International Women’s Day that occurred on March 8, it is time to honor female inventors who also took part in shaping modern society. Below are five items that we wouldn’t have today if it weren’t for innovative female inventors. 

Automatic Dishwashers – Josephine Cochrane

Sing your praises to Josephine Cochrane; because of her automatic dishwasher, you are saving a tremendous amount of time cleaning your kitchen after a dinner party. Cochrane’s idea originated from her being a “frequent entertainer,” according to BBC News, and wanting an instrument that would wash her dishes more thoroughly than her servants with a lower risk of them chipping. 

Her machine consisted of a motor rotating a wheel inside a copper boiler, which only made her invention much more unique as it became the first dishwasher to operate by water pressure. In 1886, she decided to patent her creation and establish her own production factory, driven by an amassed debt after her alcoholic husband abandoned her. 

Windshield Wipers – Mary Anderson

Imagine driving in the midst of a rainstorm or a snowstorm and not being able to see the road ahead. Well, thanks to Mary Anderson and her invention of windshield wipers, that is not a problem anymore. During a frigid day in 1903, Anderson was traveling New York City when she noticed that her driver would have to open his window in order to clear the accumulation of snow from his windscreen. Every time the driver opened the window to manually remove the snow, not only would the passengers get colder, but the process would continuously delay their journey. 

Afterwards, Anderson sketched out an automated rubber blade that could be maneuvered from the car’s interior; a year later, in 1903, she received a patent for it.

However, not everyone believed Anderson’s invention was the right solution as car companies deemed her windshield wipers to be a distraction for drivers. Therefore, Anderson never earned the profit and recognition she deserved, despite the fact that in 1922, car companies began to adopt the invention as a necessity. 

Coffee Filters – Melitta Bentz

Are you a coffee addict? Are you one of those people who claim that they cannot start their day without a decent cup of precious coffee? Well, the reason why your cup of coffee tastes so heavenly might be because of Melitta Bentz’s coffee filters. 

According to Do Something, Bentz was constantly tired of coffee grounds penetrating her cup of coffee—a problem we fortunately cannot relate to—so she stole some dry, absorbent paper from her son’s notebook and utilized it as the first coffee filter. 

In 1908, she obtained a patent for her coffee filters and officially changed coffee’s reputation.

Bluetooth, GPS, Wi-Fi – Hedy Lamarr

Hedy Lamarr’s advancements paved the way for the complex technologies we utilize today. Whether it be through Wi-Fi to connect your device anywhere at any time, Bluetooth to connect your Airpods to your iPhone, or maps to navigate the world, Lamarr’s creations can be seen everywhere in our daily lives. 

Lamarr was initially famous for being a film actress whose beauty supposedly inspired the animation of Snow White, according to Do Something. Nonetheless, she was also an inventor who was adept at innovating and “tinkering” with objects. When World War II emerged, Lamarr felt a sense of urgency to help in whatever way she could, which led her and a partner to invent “frequency hopping” programs to direct missiles. These developments became the foundation for wireless communication technology like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS. 

Home Security System – Marie Vann Brittan Brown

Have you ever stayed home alone and felt completely at ease knowing that there is a home security system installed for emergencies? That is the exact mentality that Marie Vann Brittan Brown had when she came up with the idea. Being a nurse who frequently stayed home alone, she, too, needed a sense of reassurance. 

While crime rates were rising in the 1960s, police responses were delayed. Thus, along with her husband, Albert Vann Brittan Brown, she developed the first security system. 

The appliance was complex for its time as it contained a camera powered by a motor that operated up and down the door to monitor through a “peephole,” according to BBC. Additionally, the one installed in her bedroom even had an alarm button.

Without these inventions, people would be forced to live a life of washing dishes for ages after dinner parties, manually clearing out the snow from their cars during drives, drinking grainy coffee each morning, and being defenseless in their homes without the protection of home security systems. Thus, it is only equitable for the names of inspirational inventors like Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell to be written alongside ingenious innovators like Josephine Cochrane, Mary Anderson, Melitta Bentz, Hedy Lamarr, and Marie Vann Brittan in the history books—by the way, they share one obvious similarity: they are all female.