It's National Inventors Day

Today is National Inventors Day! These amazing inventors took seriously the work of science and technology, so it is fitting that today is also International Day of Women and Girls in Science. At Jovian Concepts we celebrate the Big Ideas of innovation and appreciate the hard work of those who forged new paths for generations to follow.

Mary Anderson (1866-1953) was an entrepreneur and viticulturist who patented the first windshield wiper. Her patent was designed for trolley car drivers, as the automobile had not yet been popularized.

Madam C.J. Walker (1867-1919) was born Sarah Breedlove and grew to become a self-made millionaire. Best known for creating cosmetics and hair products through her business, Madam C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company. She developed her own hair care products and is often credited with inventing the first hair straightening formula.

Katherine Burr Blodgett (1898-1979) was a research scientist, physicist, and chemist. Together with a colleague Dr. Blodgett invented a nonreflective coating used to cancel reflections, Langmuir-Blodgett film, and has several U.S. patents to her name.

Hedy Lamarr (1914-2000) was born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler and became well known as a film actress. In 1942 Ms. Lamarr was granted a patent for a device that could create a signal that could not be tracked or jammed. The idea of frequency hopping later became useful in technology such as GPS and Wi-Fi.

Patricia Bath (1942-2019) is best known for inventing laser cataract surgery. In addition to being a laser scientist and ophthalmologist, Dr. Bath conducted research in her fight against blindness and was an early advocate for telemedicine.

The innovative spirit of these five pioneers continues to inspire us today. At Jovian Concepts we appreciate inventors for being Down to Earth, Up to the Challenge.

Pictured, clockwise from top left: Patricia Bath, Katherine Burr Blodgett, Hedy Lamarr, Mary Anderson, Madame C.J. Walker. (All images from the public domain.)

About Jovian Concepts, Inc.

Jovian Concepts, Inc. provides unique on-site consulting services to agencies of the United States government. Founded in 2009 by Richard Scheper, Ph.D., Jovian Concepts is based in Maryland. For more information, visit www.jovianconcepts.com.