Women Can Invent, Too! 2

Without the invention credited to Josephine Cochran, the pile of dishes left behind after a big meal would continue to sit for hours. An impressive amount of medical patents are attributed to Gertrude Elion, who has helped to save thousands of lives throughout the years. Those working with a budget to furnish their home have appreciated the invention that Sarah Goode is responsible for creating. In this article, you will learn more regarding these ingenious inventors.

Josephine Cochran

Leave it to a woman to make life easier when it came to taking care of the dinner dishes. While the first dishwasher credit goes to Joel Houghton, who gained a patent in 1850 , his machine wasn’t too good at getting the job done. His hand-cranked wheel splashed water on dishes, but could not compare to the first working automatic dishwasher that Josephine Garis Cochran (a Shelbyville, Illinois native) created in 1889.

At the time, she designed a dishwasher out of a wooden tub with an accompanying wire basket. Dishes were placed in the basket and a set of rollers rotated the dishes. A handle situated on the tub was turned and hot, soapy water sprayed into the tub , cleaning the dishes.

The first time the public caught sight of the invention was at the World’s Fair in Chicago, Illinois (1893). It took a bit of time for the idea to catch on, as her first takers were hotels and eateries. Cochran developed a small company and eventually joined the ranks of KitchenAid. It would take much longer for the dishwasher to become a household favorite, as the machine didn’t fully catch on until the 1960s.

Gertrude Elion

In addition to winning a Noble Prize, Gertrude Elion (1918-1999) was a notable biochemist who was the driving force behind a lot of life-saving drugs. She invented medications, such as 6-mercaptopurine (Purinethol) and 6-thioguanine (which helps to combat leukemia), Imuran, Zovirax, and many other remarkable treatments. In the early stages of her career in medicine, she worked at Burroughs-Wellcome (which is now known as Glaxo Wellcome) for many decades. When she won a Nobel Prize, she shared the honors with two others (George Hitchings and Sir James Black), but of the 45 patents Elion’s name is mentioned , it was her effort alone that helped to create drugs that have saved thousands of lives.

Sarah Goode

The businesswoman and inventor who came up with the idea of a folding cabinet bed was named Sarah Goode, who developed a space-saving bed that folded up against the wall into a convenient cabinet. Additionally, when the apparatus was folded up, it could be used as a desk with compartments set aside for stationary and writing supplies. So, what prompted Goode to create such an invention? As the owner of a furniture store in Chicago, Illinois, she invented the bed for people living within a small apartment scene. Her patent was the first obtained by female inventor of African American descent, which took place on July 14th, 1885.