International Women’s Day 2015
Taking Action – Making it happen.

After years of consciousness raising, awareness, and work at self-acceptance, it is time to for the balance to shift. Any person shoud be seen for the talents developed, for the skill of mind and hand, and for the content of character, despite shape, color, gender identity, philosophy, age, or fashion sense. This year’s theme for International Womens Day is Making it Happen. See the list below of ways that women have made things happen.

Celebrate International Womens Day by learning about Women’s Inventions

Straw hat weaving process, Mary Kies, 1809, first patent granted to a woman in America, created an economic boom in New England
Circular Saw, Tabitha Babbitt, 1810, Shaker community
Emergency stop mechanism for industrial machines Margaret Knight, 1855 (age 12)
better known for paper bag folding machine patent battle (1870) where it was said by the patent thief that no woman could design such a complicated machine She held more than 80 patents including designs for rotary automobile engines in 1913.
windshield wiper, Mary Anderson, 1903, ironically a “belle” from Alabama.
Radio frequency-hopping for torpedo guidance, Hedy Lamarr, 1942. Yes, that one. Not Hedley.
Fungicide Nystatin, Rachel Fuller Brown and Elizabeth Lee Hazen, 1950
Liquid Paper Bette Nesmith Graham, 1957. She was a poor typist.
Kevlar, Stephanie Kwolek, 1964, seems that rods are stronger than circles for polymers.
Urine powered generator, Adebola Duro-Aina Oluwatoyin Faleke, Eniola Bello and Abiola Akindele, 2012 – Nigerian teen women aged 14-15, who wanted everyone to be able to have electricity.
pediatric IV backback – Kylie Simonds of Naugatuck, Connecticut (age 11) 2014, cancer survivor.
Super capacitor, Eesha Khare, 2014 (high school student, Sratoga, CA)

What else could be added to the benefit of the population of the world if all women (and men too) were granted access to education and the ability to experiement and learn? Take a moment today to encourage a woman to be herself, to use her talents and to shift the balance of power to an equilibrium.

International Womens Day 2015: Making it Happen

References

Abrams, M. (2012). Margaret Knight. American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Retrieved from https://www.asme.org/engineering-topics/articles/diversity/margaret-knight

Edmons, M. (2011 January 12). Top 10 Things that Women Invented. How Stuff Works website. Retrieved from http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/inventions/10-things-that-women-invented.htm#page=0

Murano, G. (2014 July 7). 10 amazing inventions by teens. Retrieved from http://www.oddee.com/item_99064.aspx (Note that boys are included in this article.)

Olofinula, T. (2013 February 13). Girl Power: Nigerian teens invent urine-powered generator. Global Press Institute. Retrieved from http://www.girleffect.org/what-girls-need/articles/2013/02/girl-power-nigerian-teens-invent-urine-powered-generator/