Making Inventions

This brand-new series highlights some of the major contributions women have made in the world of science.

Women have been pioneers of inventions. Some have come up with practical ways to solve problems in their own lives, such as Marie van Brittan Brown, who invented closed-circuit TV because she did not feel safe opening the door in her New York City tenement block in the 1960s. Other women have been trained scientists working in laboratories, such as Stephanie Kwolek, inventor of bullet-proof Kevlar. Few of these women have received full credit, because their inventions are not always spectacular, yet we all use them every day: the windshield wiper, the paper bag, the coffee filter, and the diaper. This book tells their stories and describes their vital contributions.