5 things you didn't know that were invented by women

Thank a woman the next time you chug that chilled glass of beer!

Dipannita Saha Dipannita Saha
फरवरी 20, 2017
Madame Curie isn't the only scientist we should talk about. Photo Courtesy: Twitter/RicksonAlbez/WikimediaCommons

Do you like drinking beer? You probably said hell yeah to that, but do you know who invented it? If you think beer was invented by a man, you're a wrong! Women over the ages have made countless contribution to the history of human invention, including beer.

However, when we talk about inventors, the first people who come to mind are Albert Einstein, Graham Bell, and Nikola Tesla. Particularly in male-dominated areas like science and medicine, the contribution of women has often been overlooked or sidelined. Apart from Madame Marie Curie, people assume that most big inventors were all men.

Here are 5 things that were invented by women that you probably didn't know about.

Beer


That's right, your favourite beverage for the summer was actually invented by women. According to a research conducted by historian Jane Peyton, for thousands of years brewing beer was a woman's domain. And you thought beer was super manly, right?

Peyton claims that ancient Mesopotamian women were the first to develop, sell, and even drink beer. While it may be hard to pin down who was the first woman to start brewing, it's safe to say that ancient women all over the world were indeed fermenting something.

Computer Software Program


Grace Murray Hopper, a rear admiral in the U.S. navy, was a computer scientist who invented COBOL, "the first user-friendly business computer software program". She also wrote the first compiler for the A-0 programming language in 1952.

You must have heard the term "bug" which is used to describe a glitch in a computer system. Well, guess what? Hopper came up with it after finding an actual moth causing trouble in her computer.

Wireless Telecommunication Technology


You may remember Hedy Lamarr for her films and high cheekbones. But, this Austrian-American actress, along with composer George Antheil, co-invented a system of wireless communication called "spread spectrum" to fight the Nazis during World War II.

Although the US Navy did not adopt the technology until the 1960s, the principles of their work are now incorporated into modern Wi-Fi, CDMA, and Bluetooth technology.

The Structure of DNA


She may not be an inventor, but Rosalind Franklin is best known for her role in the discovery of the structure of DNA, and for her pioneering use of X-ray diffraction.

This English chemist and X-ray crystallographer's contributions to the understanding of the molecular structures of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), RNA (ribonucleic acid), viruses, coal, and graphite. In fact, she is also known as the Dark Lady of DNA.

Kevlar


If you think women are too delicate and will scream and faint at the mere sight of a gun, think again--it was a woman who invented bulletproof vests.

Stephanie Kwolek invented the super-strong Kevlar fibre, that is used to make bulletproof vests. Lightweight, high-tensile and five times stronger than steel, a Kevlar will happily take a bullet for you! The chemist, whose invention is five times stronger than steel, accidentally invented it while trying to perfect a lighter fiber for car.

 

लगातार ऑडनारी खबरों की सप्लाई के लिए फेसबुक पर लाइक करे      

Copyright © 2024 Living Media India Limited. For reprint rights: Syndications Today. India Today Group