“You’re a genius.”
Aviator-tycoon Howard Hughes to Hedy Lamarr, after she showed Hughes her designs for improving the wing shape on his airplanes. (video from American Masters; 2018)
Achievement: Inventor of the windshield wiper (1903), which was patented 5 years before Henry Ford started manufacturing the Model T. The idea was initially rejected by the manufacturing industry, therefore, Anderson never made any money from her invention. But in 1922, Cadillac began to include windhsield wipers as standard equipment.
Achievement: Founder and CEO of Black Girls Code, which works to introduce girls in underrepresented groups to careers in computer programming. As of 2020, over 3,000 girls have participated in the program.
Achievement: British engineer and inventor; patented a system for anchoring bridge chains. Gave permission for engineer Thomas Telford to use her patented design as a blueprint for his own bridge project.
SEE: COMPUTER SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Achievement: Holder of over 100 patents. Invented the Spanning-Tree Protocol (STP), which controls how information is sent between servers. Also wrote a kid-frienly version of the LOGO programming language, which young children could use to control a robot.
SEE: ENGINEERING
Achievement: Designed of the interactive operating system LAP6 for the LINC (Laboratory Instrument Computer); the first person to use a personal computer in the home (1965).
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