Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
hub shirt with book
hub shirt with book
Ken Baldauf
Life

Brilliant Women that Changed your Daily Life

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UTSA chapter.

Ever wonder where the products you use day to day came from? Here are some amazing inventions by women that have major impacts on your daily life:

Coffee Filter.

I don’t know about you, but I am a different person before my coffee. German entrepreneur, Melitta Bentz, invented the minimalistic pour-over coffee in 1908 by creating a filter to hold the grounds. Danke schön Melitta!

Car Heater.

Margaret Wilcox, one of the first female engineers, invented a way to heat air in cars in 1893. Her invention was a chamber that moved the air over the car engine to heat it up before it reached the cab. Without her, you would be freezing in the car on those chilly winter days!

Liquid Paper.

Talk about work smarter, not harder! Bette Graham was a secretary looking for a way to fix mistakes. In 1951, this product (formerly known as “Mistake-Out”) changed the game for secretaries — and still helps you anytime you need to cover up a little mishap.

Ice Cream Maker.

Nancy Johnson invented the ice cream maker in 1843 — before freezers were even invented! Before Nancy, ice cream was a rare dessert because it took a long and involved process to make. Your daily sweet treat wouldn’t be the same without her!

Foot Pedal Trash Can.

Who knew the pedal on a trash can could be so helpful? Lillian Gilbreth did! She invented this simple yet amazing product, and also did some even more impressive things; raised 12 children and earned a master’s and doctorate degree.

I am an undergraduate Psychology major minoring in Philosophy. I will be graduating in December 2020, and starting my Master's degree in the spring 2021 semester studying Clinical Mental Health Counseling. I am an avid lover of the outdoors, coffee, and deep conversations!