5 Things Women Still Use Everyday That Were Invented By Women

Imagine how different our lives would be without them.

Photo by Devin Avery on Unsplash

From our morning cup of Joe to our safety on a rainy night, these gals had our backs and fronts, too! (Be sure to read to the end, because our last inventor is all that and a bag of bootleg hootch.)

Women inventors are nothing new and many, like Ada Lovelace, Hedy Lamarr, and Grace Hopper, made essential contributions to Information Technology. Only recently have women like Katherine Johnson, who played a key role in the U.S. space program, been recognized for their efforts.

Here are a few other inventors whose names may be new to you. Their accomplishments may seem modest, but imagine how different our lives would be without them.

1. Margaret E. Knight — The Paper Bag Folding Machine, 1871

Margaret E. Knight (1838–1914) began inventing at the age of 12. Knight’s father had died when she was young, and she and her siblings had to work to help support the family. An accident at the New England cotton mill where she worked inspired her to create a safety device for one of the machines.

Much later, in 1867, she went to work for the Columbia Paper Bag Company in Springfield, Massachusetts…