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Friday, December 5, 2014

It takes a woman

A few months ago we went four wheel driving. Long story short, one of the cars got bogged on the beach. They slowed down in the sand when they should have gunned it.

The blokes begun digging the sand from under the wheels. I asked whether they wanted the rubber mats out of the car to put under the wheels. No brainer.

"No", was the answer I got. They tried reversing out, bogged again.

The tide came closer to the car, and still they were trying to dig around the wheels. Things seemed a bit hopeless when I took things into my own hands.

I took the two rubber floor mats from the front of our car and put them behind the back wheels of the bogged car. I grabbed the sun visor from the boot and laid it out behind the passenger side front wheel. While I was walking back out the way, the car had reversed out of the bog and was off again. I looked at my friend, a young girl and clued her in, "It takes a woman Dene. It takes a woman".

It makes me ponder, whether primitive man actually invented fire. I think, after primitive man dumped a dinosaur carcass on the ground and grunted something translating to, "Cook me a steak Bitch", bitch got busy inventing fire. Much to woman's amusement, man choked on steak and the flame grilled BBQ was born.


You may be surprised, or then again, not really, at the ingenuity and inventiveness of women. Take Josephine Cochrane for example. In 1889, Josephine invented the first dishwasher. All hail to Josephine.

A couple of years later, Catherine Deiner made the first rolling pin. Her husband must have been really bad, or she just needed to make some pie.



A year after that in 1892, Sarah Boone had a lightbulb go off in her head and invented the ironing board. Why Sarah, Why?!



Only yesterday, I had the pleasure of passing a street sweeping machine in my car. I smiled a smug smile and motioned with a nod, to my girls. "You see that. A woman invented that". Clean streets, all thanks to the inventiveness of Florence Parpart, in 1900. Fourteen years later she also invented the first electric refrigerator! Go Flo!

In 1903, a clever clogs named Mary Anderson invented the first working windshield wipers. Mind you all the while her husband was probably saying "What are you doing you stupid woman?". I can just see him driving along, running all and sundry off the road with his head sticking out the window in the rain. All the while in fast forward and with that silly music of silent film era. Good onya Mary.

There are so many more who made their mark, and we reap the benefits today. Ida Forbes who made the first electric hot water system in 1917. Marion Donovan who invented the disposable nappy in 1950. THANKYOU ladies!

There may have been SO many more female inventors kicking arse pre 1890s. Patents were not allowed to be taken out by females before then, as they had no claim to possessions. A patent was deemed as a possession, and therefore most were taken out in their husband or fathers names. 

When my sister was about 17, I remember her saying someone should invent an electric blanket that is a fitted sheet. She should have run with it.

Thought of any great inventions lately? 

Had any light bulb moments?



Help! I'm stuck!

Flogging the blog at With some grace

12 comments:

  1. Yes, sometime it does take a woman and there are so many inspirational ones past and present.

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  2. Doesn't surprise me that women invented so many useful things. As for the car ummm wouldn't that be the obvious thing to do? I've never been four wheel driving or been bogged before but even I could've come up with that. I'm sure women would've invented a lot more things because they had to use a mans name or hide behind husbands etc. Wouldn't it be interesting if some of the big inventions from men were actually secretly made by their wives.

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  3. Girls rule, boys drool!! Love this!!

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  4. Am working on the inventions angle and coming up with little at the moment !

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  5. That is an awesome list of inventions and their female creators. I'm not at all creative so no inventions from me :( Go you for sorting out the bogged car - girl power!!!!

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  6. I love this list! I reckon the guys knew your idea was great but didn't want to admit it.

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  7. I can't believe someone called Sarah was evil enough to invent the ironing board! I have one somewhere - I last used it as a pasting table ...

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  8. I never knew! We are always trying to figure out a smarter way of doing things hey? :)

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  9. Girl power! What a great post! I love that first quote about the dishwasher... guilty as charged!

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  10. I just want to wave this inspiring post around the faces of the menfolk! Go lady inventors! Women have such common sense do we not?!

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  11. This is bloody interesting and I too have had many a great idea that has got us out of a pickle, women are doers and can think outside of the dominant thought! Love this post so much Alicia.

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  12. Truly fascinating! And how shitty women weren't allowed to take out their own patent and had to use their father or husband's name. Thank goodness times have changed...but makes you wonder how many ideas out there ended up being stolen...

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