List of women innovators and inventors by country facts for kids

Marie Curie (1867–1934), a pioneer in radioactivity research

Throughout history, women inventors have made amazing contributions to the world. However, their work was not always recognized. For example, in the UK, less than 1% of patents between 1617 and 1816 were given to women. In the US, only 1.5% of patents in 1954 were for women's inventions. By 2002, this number grew to 10.9%.

Women's inventions often focused on areas like chemistry and education. They were less common in physics or engineering. While names like Marie Curie and Ada Lovelace are well-known, many other women have created important things. Their ideas and inventions have greatly improved our daily lives.

Here is a list of some notable women inventors and innovators, organized by country.

Australia

Sally Dominguez (born 1969) invented a modular rainwater tank. This helps collect and store water easily.
Minnie Crabb (1885–1974) created a special braille printing press. This made it easier to print books for blind people.
Myra Juliet Farrell (1878–1957) designed useful tailoring devices and a folding pram hood.
Veena Sahajwalla (active 2010s) developed "green steel." This is a way to make steel using recycled materials.

Austria

Slawa Duldig (1901–1975) invented the modern folding umbrella. This made umbrellas much easier to carry.
Ingeborg Hochmair (born 1953) co-developed cochlear implants. These medical devices help people with hearing loss.
Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky (1897-2000) designed the Frankfurt kitchen. This was a very efficient and organized kitchen layout.
Helene Winterstein-Kambersky (1900-1966) created waterproof mascara.

Belgium

Guilly d'Herbemont (1888–1980) invented the white cane for blind people. This helps them navigate safely.
Princess Stéphanie of Belgium (1864–1945) invented a chafing dish. This keeps food warm at the table.

Brazil

Chu Ming Silveira (1941–1997) designed the iconic public telephone booths in Brazil.

Canada

Rosalyn Yalow, Canada, medical IT applications

Margaret Atwood (born 1939) helped develop the LongPen. This device allows someone to write remotely.
Yvonne Brill (1924–2013) worked on propulsion technologies for rockets and spacecraft.
Maya Burhanpurkar (born 1999) has researched new drugs for Alzheimer's disease.
Rachel Zimmerman (born 1972) invented the Blissymbol printer. This helps people with communication difficulties.

China

Joyce Chen (1917–1994) helped popularize and improve woks for cooking.
Tu Youyou (born 1930) developed a new and effective treatment for malaria.

Denmark

Ida Tin, Denmark, app

Hanne Nielsen (1829–1903) is known for creating Havarti cheese.
Ida Tin (born 1979) co-founded Clue, a popular health tracking app.

France

Marie Marvingt, France, airplane skis

Danièle Aron-Rosa (born 1935) pioneered laser-based eye surgery.
Herminie Cadolle (1845–1926) invented the modern brassiere.
Madame Clicquot Ponsardin (1777–1866) developed a method for making Champagne clearer.
Marie Harel (1761–1844) is credited with inventing Camembert cheese.
Martine Kempf (born 1951) created a voice activation system.
Marie Marvingt (1875–1963) designed metal skis for airplanes.
Jeanne Villepreux-Power (1794–1871) invented the aquarium to study marine life.

Germany

Ida Noddack, Germany, nuclear fission

Melitta Bentz (1873–1950) invented the coffee filter.
Bertha Benz (1849–1944) developed brake linings for cars.
Caroline Eichler (1808/9–1843) created early leg and hand prostheses.
Judith Esser-Mittag (born 1921) invented an applicator-free tampon.
Marga Faulstich (1915–1998) developed new types of optical glass.
Margarete Steiff (1847–1909) founded the company known for stuffed animals, including the teddy bear.
Katharina Paulus (1868-1935) invented the collapsible parachute.

Hungary

Maria Telkes, Hungary, solar energy

Mária Telkes (1900–1995) was a pioneer in solar energy. She created solar-powered devices.

India

Munia Ganguli (active 2010s) works on drug delivery systems.
Sylvia Ratnasamy (born 1976) helped develop a key internet technology called a distributed hash table.

Ireland

Jane Ní Dhulchaointigh (active 2010s) invented Sugru, a moldable silicone glue.

Israel

Ruth Arnon (born 1933) co-developed a drug for multiple sclerosis.

Italy

Patrizia Caraveo, Italy, particle physics

Catia Bastioli (born 1957) developed biodegradable plastics.
Maria Montessori (1870–1952) was a doctor and educator. She created the Montessori method of education and special learning materials.

Japan

Katsuko Saruhashi (1920–2007) developed ways to measure carbon dioxide in seawater.

Poland

Marie Curie (1867–1934) was a famous scientist who pioneered research into radioactivity. She discovered two new elements, polonium and radium.

Russia

Beletskaya, Russia, organometallic chemistry

Anna Pavlova (1881–1931) is said to have improved pointe shoes for ballet dancers.

Spain

Ángela Ruiz Robles (1895–1975) created an early electronic book reader.
Margarita Salas (1938–2019) made important discoveries in DNA amplification.

Sweden

Maria Christina Bruhn (1732–1808) invented a special packaging for gunpowder.
Amalia Eriksson (1824–1923) invented the famous Swedish candy stick, "polkagris."
Simone Giertz (born 1990) is known for her fun and often silly robotic devices.
Ninni Kronberg (1874–1946) developed powdered milk.
Petra Wadström (born 1952) invented Solvatten, a portable device that purifies water using solar energy.

United Arab Emirates

Reem Al Marzouqi (active 2000s) invented a car that can be driven without hands.

United Kingdom

Portrait of Ada Lovelace, mathematician, possibly by Alfred Edward Chalon

Anna Atkins (1799–1871) was a pioneer in photography.
Hertha Ayrton (1854–1923) improved electric arc lighting.
Emily Cummins (born 1987) invented an evaporative refrigeration device. This helps keep things cool without electricity.
Fiona Fairhurst (active 2009) helped design advanced swimsuits for competitive swimmers.
Sarah Guppy (1770–1852) patented a method for making strong foundations for bridges.
Mandy Haberman (born 1956) invented the Anywayup Cup, a non-spill baby bottle.
Valerie Hunter Gordon (1921–2016) invented disposable diapers and sanitary towels.
Marie Killick (1914–1964) invented the sapphire stylus for record players.
Ada Lovelace (1815-1852) was a brilliant mathematician. She is considered the first computer programmer for her work on Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine.
Beatrice Shilling (1909–1990) invented a device that improved aircraft engines during World War II.

United States

Everyday Innovations

Patricia Bath, USA, medical devices

Patricia Billings, USA, building materials

Mary Anderson invented the windshield wiper.
Tabitha Babbitt (1779–c. 1853) invented the circular saw.
Maria Beasley (active 1870s–1890s) invented a machine for making barrels and improved life rafts.
Melanie Chartoff (born 1950) invented a system for recycling water in showers.
Josephine Cochrane (1839–1913) invented the first successful automatic dishwasher.
Marion Donovan (1917–1998) invented the first disposable diaper.
Sarah E. Goode (1855–1905) was one of the first African American women to receive a patent. She invented a folding cabinet bed.
Bette Nesmith Graham (1924–1980) invented Liquid Paper, a correction fluid.
Ruth Handler (1916–2002) co-created the Barbie doll.
Mary Kenner (1912–2006) invented the sanitary belt.
Margaret E. Knight (1838–1914) invented a machine that made flat-bottomed paper bags.
Elizabeth Magie (1866–1948) invented "The Landlord's Game," which later became Monopoly.
Joy Mangano (born 1956) invented the self-wringing mop and improved luggage systems.
Mary Florence Potts (1850–1922) invented improved clothes irons.
Becky Schroeder (born 1962) invented the Glow Sheet for writing in the dark.
Patsy O'Connell Sherman (1930–2008) co-invented Scotchgard, a stain repellent.
Vesta Stoudt (1891–1966) invented duct tape.
Madeline Turner (active 1916) invented a fruit press.
Mary Walton (active 1879) developed ways to reduce smoke pollution from factories and trains.
Margaret A. Wilcox (born 1838) invented the first car heater.

Medical and Scientific Advances

Virginia Apgar (1909–1974) created the Apgar score, a system to assess the health of newborns.
Frances Arnold (born 1956) developed methods for creating new enzymes.
Barbara Askins (born 1939) invented a way to improve faint photographic negatives.
Patricia Bath (born 1942) invented a device and method for laser cataract surgery.
Rachel Fuller Brown (1898–1980) co-developed the first useful antifungal antibiotic.
Margaret Crane (active 1967) invented the first home pregnancy test.
Gertrude B. Elion (1918–1999) developed many important drugs for diseases like leukemia and AIDS.
Helen Murray Free (1923–2021) developed the first "dip-and-read" test strips for diabetes.
Olga D. González-Sanabria (active 1979) developed advanced battery technology for the International Space Station.
Elizabeth Lee Hazen (1885–1975) co-developed the first useful antifungal antibiotic.
Ida Henrietta Hyde (1857–1945) invented the first microelectrode to stimulate and record from cells.
Ann Tsukamoto (born 1952) made important discoveries in stem cell research.
Rosalyn Sussman Yalow (1921–2011) co-developed the radioimmunoassay technique, used to measure tiny amounts of substances in blood.

Technology and Computing

Randi Altschul (born 1960) invented the first disposable cellphone.
Evelyn Berezin (1925–2018) designed the first computerized word processor.
Katharine Burr Blodgett (1898–1979) invented non-reflecting glass.
Marie Van Brittan Brown (1922–1999) invented an early home security system.
Lynn Conway (born 1938) made breakthroughs in microchip design.
Jeri Ellsworth (born 1974) is a self-taught computer chip designer.
Grace Hopper (1906–1992) was a pioneer in computer programming. She developed the first compiler for a computer language.
Hedy Lamarr (1914–2000) was a film star and inventor. She co-invented an early technique for spread spectrum communications, which is now used in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
Mary Lou Jepsen (born 1965) is known for her work on display technologies and laptop development.
Radia Perlman (born 1951) invented the spanning-tree protocol, which is fundamental to how the internet works.
Sibyl M. Rock (1909–1981) was a pioneer in mass spectrometry, a technique used to identify chemicals.
Edith Stern (born 1952) holds over 100 patents in various computer applications.
Valerie Thomas (born 1943) invented the illusion transmitter, a device that creates 3D images.