It’s impossible to talk about women and the roles they have played in history without also talking about the oppression they have faced. Some obstacles these women have faced were larger than others, but all had their place in a much larger scene. The auto industry has long been known as a boy’s club, despite the incredible contributions women have made to the industry.
One of the little-known contributions women have made is windshield wipers. Not one, but two women attempted to bring the windshield wiper to life but had little success. Meet Mary Anderson, the first woman to try to popularize a windshield cleaning device.
Sometime, around the turn of the century, Mary Anderson was riding a trolley through the wet, wintery streets of New York City. She noticed that the driver of the trolley kept having to stop the trolley in order to clear the windshield of sleet and snow. Mary pulled out her notebook and began sketching a design for a window cleaner. The design was simple: an arm made of a piece of wood was fashioned with a piece rubber and controlled by a hand lever inside of the vehicle.
In 1903, Mary patented her invention but had trouble convincing anyone of its use. People thought it would distract drivers and cause accidents, but apparently not seeing what’s in front of you, wouldn’t. Go figure. Mary did not make any money and for a very long time, did not receive any credit for one of the most basic objects.
The second woman who attempted to bring this invention to the world, was named Charlotte Bridgewood. In 1917, she patented the ‘Electric Storm Windshield Cleaner’. Charlotte’s invention was a rolling system with a hand crank. It was also brushed off and Charlotte received little to no recognition.
The person who was actually credited with the invention of the windshield wiper was, by no surprise, a man. John Oishei was credited with popularizing the windshield-wiper after an accident with a cyclist. Oishei founded Trico Products Corporation and now has a foundation named after him.
Throughout history, women have been getting pushed aside or overlooked for their accomplishments. We need to celebrate these women and their contribution to the auto industry!
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/
http://www.uspto.gov/custom-
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