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Women & Their Contributions to the Auto Industry: Then & Now. By Robert Tate, Automotive Historian and Researcher. Images courtesy of the National Automotive History Collection and General Motors. Published 3.20.2019.
- Bertha Benz | Brake Pads and The First Road Trip
- Margaret Wilcox | Car Heater
- Mary Anderson & Charlotte Bridgwood |Windshield Wiper
- Florence Lawrence | Auto Signaling Arms
- June Mccarroll | Road Markings
- Katharine Blodgett | Nonreflective Glass
- Hedy Lamarr | Bluetooth
- Stephanie Kwolek | Kevlar Tires and Reinforced Brake Pads
- Mimi Vandermolen | Ergonomic Controls
- Gladys Mae West | GPS
Let’s start with the woman who put automobiles on the map. Bertha Benzwas born in 1849 in Germany when women were denied access to higher education. She married young engineer, Carl Benz, and supported his numerous career paths, emotionally and financially, including the invention of the automobile. No one was very interested in his motorcar, until...
Margaret Wilcox was a trailblazer. Born in 1838, she was one of the very few female engineers of the time. In 1893, she received the patent for the interior car heater when she engineered a system that pulled the heat from the engine into the cab. Wilcox’s work inspired the air heaters found in today’s cars making our cold winter drives more enjoya...
We have both Mary Anderson and Charlotte Bridgwood to thank for our windshield wipers that help us to drive safely in rain and snow. Anderson’s idea for the windshield wiper came to her while riding on a trolley car to New York City in 1903. Due to the snowy weather, she couldn’t look out the window and enjoy the sights, and the driver had to stop ...
At one point in automotive history, brake lights and turn signals didn’t exist – until silent-film actress Florence Lawrence saw the need. In 1913, Lawrence invented a device called the Auto Signaling Arm that, “when placed on the back of the fender, can be raised or lowered by electrical push buttons,” she described. When you pressed on the brake,...
In 1917, while driving her Ford Model T down a California roadway, June McCarroll was inspired to create a safety measure that saves lives to this day: “My Model T Ford and I found ourselves face to face with a truck on the paved highway,” she explained. “It did not take me long to choose between a sandy berth to the right and a ten-ton truck to th...
Engineer and scientist Katharine Blodgett is who we have to thank for creating non-reflective and anti-glare windshields. Born in Schenectady, New York, in 1898, she obtained her bachelors degree at Bryn Mawr College and her masters at the University of Chicago. In 1926, at age 21, Blodgett was the first woman to receive a PhD in Physics at Cambrid...
You might recognize Hedy Lamarr from the World War II film The Conspirators, but Lamarr was more than an actress – she was the inventor who created the technology in car’s Bluetooth features. In the 1940s, Lamarr invented a device that blocked enemy ships from interrupting torpedo guidance signals. The device would take the torpedo signals and make...
In 1964 chemist Stephanie Kwolek discovered the synthetic fiber, Kevlar. This polymer fiber is five times stronger than steel but lighter than fiberglass. It’s even bulletproof. Her discovery has saved countless lives as Kevlar is now used to make bulletproof vests and armor. Today, we can find Kevlar in our tires and in reinforced brake pads.
In 1970, Ford’s Design Studio welcomed Mimi Vandermolen to the team as one of the first full-time female designers. After her first project working on the 1974 Mustang II, she led the design team for the 1986 Taurus interior. In the Taurus, Vandermolen created ergonomic controls, dials for climate function, buttons with raised bumps, and a curved d...
As a mathematician who worked for the U.S. Naval Weapons Laboratory, Glady Mae West was the project manager for SEASAT, the first earth-orbiting satellite measuring ocean depths. The work on the 1978 SEASAT project helped West and her team build the GEOSAT satellite creating computer simulations of earth’s surfaces. Her calculations and work on the...
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Aug 7, 2020 · The history of women in the automotive industry over more than 100 years has evolved from being featured in advertising in the early days to professionals who run automakers, design or engineer products, or even race cars. During the late 1910s and the early 1920s, women were becoming more independent as it related to everyday transportation ...
- Odette Siko – The first woman to race Le Mans. Odette Siko made motorsport history as the first woman to race the Le Mans 24 Hours on the 21st June 1930.
- Beatrice Shilling – Engineering genius, motorbike racer and World War Two hero. Beatrice Shilling’s story is one of two wheels and wings. In 1932, when she graduated from the UK’s University of Manchester with an honours degree in engineering, she was listed as ‘Mr’ on her student record card, because female titles were not yet a recognised option.
- Minnie Palmer – The first woman in England to drive and own her own car. In 1897, Minnie Palmer became her own chauffeur. Distinguishing herself as the first woman in England to drive and own her own car, the American-born actress took delivery of a French-made Rougemont automobile.
- Dorothée Pullinger – Engineer and entrepreneur. Designed a car for women, built by women. Dorothée Pullinger made room for women in a man’s domain, and designed a car fit for them too.
Sarah Ferone. Why were electric cars of the early 1900s advertised as “ladies’ cars”? Chris Jones, Columbiana, Alabama. It was because car manufacturers, car dealers and the rest of society ...
Jul 24, 2023 · As we look back, the early 1900s offer a glimpse into an alternative automotive history and a reminder of the enduring allure of EVs. Early 1900s saw women embrace electric vehicles as luxury, offering independence, ease of use, shaping historic female mobility.
Jun 24, 2020 · Nash Kelvinator and Hudson Motors merged in 1954, becoming American Motors. After the merger, the building was focused on research and design for AMC products. In 1973, the company left its headquarters for another location in Southfield, and AMC was later sold to Chrysler for $2.3 million. 1940s Chevrolet advertising photo (GM Media Archives ...
