Groundbreaking inventions wrongly attributed to men: The overlooked contributions of women in history | – Times of India

Throughout history, many women have been overlooked, “mansplained,” and faced the harsh realities of male-dominated workspaces. They quickly learned that recognition or credit could never be assumed. Despite their brilliance and hard work, the credit for numerous tools and innovations we rely on today often went to men instead of the women who pioneered them.These women, who dedicated their time and intellect to groundbreaking work, went unnoticed and unseen. From the creation of the bra to the discovery of dark matter, here are the inventions and discoveries wrongly credited to men.

Discoveries wrongly credited to men

Monopoly, a game now synonymous with family game nights, was initially credited to Charles Darrow, who played a similar game in the 1930s. However, in 1903, Elizabeth Magie, a stenographer, invented “The Landlord’s Game,” the precursor to Monopoly. Despite having secured a patent, her contribution was overshadowed when Parker Brothers struck a deal with Darrow and marginalised her role in its creation.

Vera Rubin, a pioneering astronomer, discovered that galaxies contain vast amounts of invisible dark matter. Despite her groundbreaking work, which opened new avenues in astrophysics, Rubin never received the Nobel Prize recognition her male counterparts enjoyed.

Margaret Knight, a brilliant inventor, created the square-bottomed paper bag in 1868. However, her invention was nearly stolen by Charles Annan, who tried to patent it as his own. Fortunately, Knight fought back in court and secured her rightful credit.

Chinese-American physicist Chien-Shiung Wu conducted experiments that confirmed the theory of nuclear particles proposed by male physicists Tsung-Dao Lee and Chen Ning Yang. Despite her crucial role in this discovery, they were awarded the Nobel Prize, while Wu was left without recognition.

Dr. Rosalind Franklin’s photographs of DNA revealed its double-helix structure, a critical discovery. However, scientists James Watson and Francis Crick received the Nobel Prize for the work, with Franklin’s contribution largely unacknowledged.

Hedy Lamarr, better known as a Hollywood actress, co-invented a frequency-hopping technology that laid the foundation for GPS, Bluetooth, and secure Wi-Fi. Despite the significance of her invention, Lamarr’s contributions were overlooked, with most of her fame attributed to her acting career.

Lise Meitner, an Austrian-Swedish physicist, discovered nuclear fission in 1939. Yet, it was her male colleague, Otto Hahn, who received the Nobel Prize for Chemistry, leaving Meitner’s contributions in the shadows.

The modern bra as we know it was patented in 1914 by Caresse Crosby (Mary Phelps Jacobs). Despite her ingenuity, she was forced to sell the patent to Warner Brothers Corset Company for a meagre $1,500. Over the years, the company made millions off her invention, while Crosby received none of the credit or financial reward she deserved.

Esther Lederberg, a bacterial geneticist, made significant discoveries in microbial genetics, including lambda phage. However, her husband, Joshua Lederberg, claimed most of the credit, including a Nobel Prize.

Mary Anderson invented the windshield wiper in 1902, revolutionising driving safety. Despite her groundbreaking invention, Anderson struggled to sell her patent, and her contribution was largely forgotten as the device became a standard feature in automobiles.

Ada Lovelace, often called the first computer programmer, wrote the instructions for the first computer algorithm. Although her work is now celebrated, it was overlooked for many years, and she only recently received the recognition she deserves.

Marion Donovan invented the reusable, waterproof diaper cover in 1951, revolutionising infant care. Despite the significance of her invention, she faced ridicule and had difficulty selling her patent, leading to her work being largely unrecognised.

Katherine Johnson, a Black mathematician, calculated the trajectory for America’s first spaceflight and the Apollo 11 moon landing. Despite her crucial contributions, Johnson faced racial and gender discrimination, and her work went largely unrecognised for years.

Trota of Salerno, an 11th-century Italian doctor, made groundbreaking discoveries in women’s health, yet her work was often attributed to male physicians, and her very existence was questioned during the Renaissance.

Dr. Candace Pert discovered the opiate receptor, a breakthrough in neuroscience. However, her supervisor, Solomon Snyder, overshadowed her contributions, and Pert did not receive the recognition she deserved.

Alice Augusta Ball, a Black chemist, discovered a cure for leprosy in 1916 by isolating the active ingredient in chaulmoogra oil. However, her work was falsely attributed to Arthur L. Dean, who claimed the discovery as his own.

Dr. Grace Hopper created the first compiler for a computer programming language, revolutionising computing. Yet, her contributions were initially overlooked in favour of male colleagues.

Ada Harris, a schoolteacher, patented the hair straightener in 1895. Despite her innovation, others like Isaac K. Shero and Marcel Grateau received credit for the invention.

Jocelyn Bell Burnell discovered pulsars while working as a research assistant at Cambridge. However, her advisor, Antony Hewish, received the Nobel Prize for the discovery, leaving Burnell without recognition.