Groundbreaking Discoveries by Women…That Were Uncredited

March is National Women’s History Month and as women from all walks of life are celebrated, we at Pink Space Theory would like to highlight 10 women who made groundbreaking discoveries that led to major advancements and improvements in our lives. Unfortunately, due to the era they lived in, they did not receive recognition for these discoveries. This month is a great opportunity to showcase the work of these pioneering women and acknowledge the path they created for us.

Elizabeth Magie Phillips: Monopoly

The invention of everyone's favorite board game has been credited to Charles Darrow, who sold it to Parker Brothers in 1935. But it was Elizabeth Magie Phillips who came up with the original inspiration, The Landlord's Game, in 1903. Ironically, she designed the game to protest against monopolists like Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller. Impress your friends and family with this trivia the next time you play!

Alice Ball: Cure for Leprosy

Alice Ball was a young chemist at Kalihi Hospital in Hawaii who focused on Hansen's disease, a.k.a. leprosy. Her research sought to find a cure for the disease by figuring out how to inject chaulmoogra oil directly into the bloodstream. Topical treatments worked, but had side effects patients weren't interested in. Sadly, Ball became sick and returned home, where she died in 1916. Arthur Dean took over her study, but her method, known as the "Ball Method" was used for over two decades all over the world to cure the disease.

Margaret Knight: Square-Bottomed Paper Bag

Next time you’re bagging groceries, think of Margaret Knight, who In 1868, invented a machine that folded and formed flat, square-bottomed brown paper bags. She built a wooden model of the device but couldn't apply for a patent until she made an iron model. While the model was being developed in the shop, a man named Charles Annan stole the idea and patented it. Though he received credit for it, Knight filed a lawsuit and finally won the rights to it in 1871.

Dr. Grace Murray Hopper: Computer Programming Language

Hopper created the first computer language compiler tools to program the Harvard Mark I computer—IBM's computer that was often used for World War II efforts. Though it's noted in history that John von Neumann initiated the computer's first program, Hopper is the one who invented the codes to program it. One of the programming languages she pioneered, COBOL, is still widely used today.

Caresse Crosby: The Modern Bra

Once upon a time, there was a rebellious gal who was tired of wearing corsets. Enter Caresse Crosby, who developed the modern bra. She was the first to acquire the patent for the modern bra, a.k.a. a "Backless Brassiere," yet she sold her patent to the Warner Brothers Corset Company so is often forgotten. We can all relate to her plight, right?!

Esther Lederberg: Microbial Genetics

Lederberg played a large part in determining how genes are regulated, along with the process of making RNA from DNA. She often collaborated with her husband Joshua Lederberg, but it was Esther who discovered lambda phage—a virus that infects E. coli bacteria. Despite their collaboration, her husband won the 1958 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for discoveries on how bacteria mate.

Ada Harris: Hair Straightener

Marcel Grateau is often credited for the invention of the hair straightener, but it was Harris who first claimed the patent for it in 1893. Grateau made his claim to fame with the curling iron around 1852, but we all certainly know there's a difference.

The ENIAC Programmers: First Electronic Computer

The ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer) was the first computer ever built. In 1946, six women programmed this electronic computer as part of a secret World War II project. Inventor John Mauchly is often credited for its creation, but the programmers are the ones who developed the machine.

Mary Anderson: Windshield Wipers

Anderson first came up with the idea of windshield wipers while riding in a streetcar in the snow and watching the conductor sticking his head out the window to see. She tried selling her device to companies after receiving the patent in 1903, but all of them rejected her invention. It wasn't until the '50s and '60s when faster automobiles were invented that companies took to the idea. By then, Anderson's patent had expired, and inventor Robert Kearns was credited with the idea.

Katherine Johnson: Moon Landing Path

You may recognize Johnson's name from the 2017 box-office hit Hidden Figures.  Johnson was long nicknamed a "computer" for her intelligence. She discovered the exact path for the Freedom 7 spacecraft to successfully enter space for the first time in 1961 and later for the Apollo 11 mission to land on the moon in 1969. She often went unrecognized by her male colleagues and faced racial discrimination.