Olive Dennis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Olive Dennis
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| Born | November 20, 1885 Thurlow, Pennsylvania
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| Died | November 5, 1957 (aged 71) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Goucher College Columbia University Cornell University |
| Known for | Railway service improvements |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Engineering |
| Institutions | B&O Railroad |
Olive Wetzel Dennis (born November 20, 1885 – died November 5, 1957) was a super smart engineer. She created new designs that made train travel much better for everyone! Olive was born in Thurlow, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Baltimore.
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Olive's Amazing Career
Olive went to Goucher College and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1908. The very next year, she got a master's degree in math from Columbia University. After teaching for a bit, she decided to study civil engineering. She went to Cornell University and earned her engineering degree in just one year!
In 1920, Olive became only the second woman to get a Civil Engineering degree from Cornell. That same year, the B & O Railroad hired her as a draftsman. Her job was to design bridges. Her first bridge was in Painesville, Ohio.
Becoming a Service Engineer
The next year, something special happened. Daniel Willard, who was the President of the B&O Railroad, noticed that about half of their train passengers were women. He thought it would be a great idea for a woman engineer to improve the train services. So, Olive Dennis became the very first "service engineer" for the B&O Railroad!
An engineering historian named Kurt H. Debus even said she was the first service engineer in all of America. Later in her career, the B&O Railroad asked Olive to design an entire train. This train, called the Cincinnatian, included all of her cool new ideas. A historian named Sharon Harwood called it "the crowning glory of her career."
Olive was also a pioneer in professional groups. She was the first female member of the American Railway Engineering Association. In 1931, she was also chosen to be a member of the British Women's Engineering Society.
Cool Train Innovations
Olive Dennis introduced many great ideas that made passenger trains much more comfortable. Here are some of her amazing innovations:
- Seats that could lean back a little bit.
- Upholstery (the fabric on seats) that wouldn't get stained easily.
- Bigger dressing rooms for women. These rooms had free paper towels, liquid soap, and drinking cups.
- Ceiling lights that could be made dimmer at night.
- Special window vents that she invented and patented. These vents let passengers get fresh air while keeping dust out.
- Later, she helped bring air conditioned areas to trains.
Other train companies soon started using her ideas. Because trains became so much more comfortable, buses and airlines had to improve their services too! They wanted to keep up with the railroads.
Sadly, many people outside of the railroad world don't know about Olive's amazing work. Her design patents were given to the railroad company. Her name wasn't even mentioned in the advertisements for the Cincinnatian train, even though she designed it!
A Woman's Viewpoint
Olive Dennis once said, "No matter how successful a business may seem to be, it can gain even greater success if it gives consideration to the woman's viewpoint."
Her unique ideas came from being a woman who traveled a lot and also had strong engineering skills. Even though these changes weren't enough to save the passenger train industry in America, Olive Dennis's ideas really changed the travel industry across the country.
See also
In Spanish: Olive Dennis para niños
