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First Ladies
- Dolley Madison’s Life before James Madison – Constitutional Conversations – VIDEO
- Dolley Madison’s Life before James Madison – Quiz
- Dolley Madison as First Lady – Constitutional Conversations – VIDEO
- Dolley Madison as First Lady – Quiz
- Dolley Madison and Slavery – Constitutional Conversations – VIDEO
- Dolley Madison and Slavery – Quiz
- Dolley Madison and Politics – Constitutional Conversations – VIDEO
- Dolley Madison and Politics – Quiz
- Dolley Madison and Constitutional Thinking – Constitutional Conversations – VIDEO
- Dolley Madison and Constitutional Thinking – Quiz
- Dolley Madison: A Model for Our Times – Constitutional Conversations – VIDEO
- Dolley Madison: A Model for Our Times – Quiz
- Eleanor Rosalynn Carter – Lesson
- Eleanor Rosalynn Carter – Quiz
- Abigail Adams – The Second First Lady – Lesson
- Abigail Adams – The Second First Lady – Quiz
- Dolley Madison – America’s First First Lady? – Lesson
- Dolley Madison – America’s First First Lady? – Quiz
- Elizabeth Monroe – the Fifth First Lady – Lesson
- Elizabeth Monroe – the Fifth First Lady – Quiz
- Louisa Adams: The First First Lady Born Outside the US – Lesson
- Louisa Adams: The First First Lady Born Outside the US – Quiz
- Anna Harrison – The First Lady Who Never Made It to the White House – Lesson
- Anna Harrison – The First Lady Who Never Made It to the White House – Quiz
- First Lady Julia Tyler – Started a Tradition Still in Use Today – Lesson
- First Lady Julia Tyler – Started a Tradition Still in Use Today – Quiz
- Sarah Polk – A Very Religious First Lady – Lesson
- Sarah Polk – A Very Religious First Lady – Quiz
- First Lady Rachel Jackson Never Made It to the White House – Lesson
- First Lady Rachel Jackson Never Made It to the White House – Quiz
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American Artists
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Veterans
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Founding Fathers
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Famous Women
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Poets
- Emily Dickinson – The Myth – Lesson
- Emily Dickinson – The Myth – Quiz
- Edgar Allan Poe – Inventor of Modern Detective Stories – Lesson
- Edgar Allan Poe – Inventor of Modern Detective Stories – Quiz
- Robert Frost – One of America’s Favorite Poets – Lesson
- Robert Frost – One of America’s Favorite Poets – Quiz
- T.S. Eliot – The Poet Who Gave Cats Secret Names – Lesson
- T.S. Eliot – The Poet Who Gave Cats Secret Names – Quiz
- Walt Whitman – America’s Poet of the People – Lesson
- Walt Whitman – America’s Poet of the People – Quiz
- E.E. Cummings – Making Poetry into Puzzles – Lesson
- E.E. Cummings – Making Poetry into Puzzles – Quiz
- John Keats and the Rise of Romantic Poetry – Lesson
- John Keats and the Rise of Romantic Poetry – Quiz
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow – The Most Famous American of His Day – Lesson
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow – The Most Famous American of His Day – Quiz
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Poetry
- Renaissance Poetry and History’s Most Famous Poet – Lesson
- Renaissance Poetry and History’s Most Famous Poet – Quiz
- Epic Poetry: The Earliest Literary Art Form – Lesson
- Epic Poetry: The Earliest Literary Art Form – Quiz
- Neoclassical Poetry Favored Ancient Greek and Roman Styles – Lesson
- Neoclassical Poetry Favored Ancient Greek and Roman Styles – Quiz
- Romanticism – An Emotional Era of Poetry – Lesson
- Romanticism – An Emotional Era of Poetry – Quiz
- Victorian Poetry – Lesson
- Victorian Poetry – Quiz
- Modernist Poetry and Ezra Pound – Lesson
- Modernist Poetry and Ezra Pound – Quiz
- Postmodernism – A New Era of Poetry – Lesson
- Postmodernism – A New Era of Poetry – Quiz
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Inventors
- Thomas Edison: A Prolific American Inventor – Lesson
- Thomas Edison: A Prolific American Inventor – Quiz
- Henry Ford and the Moving Assembly Line – Lesson
- Henry Ford and the Moving Assembly Line – Quiz
- Alexander Graham Bell: The Man Who Invented the Telephone – Lesson
- Alexander Graham Bell: The Man Who Invented the Telephone – Quiz
- The Wright Brothers – First in Flight – Lesson
- The Wright Brothers – First in Flight – Quiz
- Mary Anderson – The Woman Who Invented Windshield Wipers – Lesson
- Mary Anderson – The Woman Who Invented Windshield Wipers – Quiz
Mary Anderson – The Woman Who Invented Windshield Wipers – Lesson
Not all of history’s inventors were men.
Most of the inventors throughout history were men, but in the early twentieth century, one woman made her mark in the male-dominated arena: Mary Anderson.
Mary Anderson and Windshield Wipers
Amid the chill of winter in 1903, Anderson traveled from Alabama to New York, where she toured New York City on a trolley car. Unfortunately, she encountered bad weather on her trip, impacting her ability to enjoy the views along the way. But something else more important happened: Anderson noticed the trolley driver couldn’t see very well, either, and would manually wipe the snow and ice from the windshield through the car’s side windows. While observing the crude approach, Anderson hatched a plan to improve visibility and safety for drivers and passengers alike.
That same year, Anderson filed for and received a patent for a rubber-bladed swinging arm – otherwise known as a “windshield wiper.” “The device consisted of a lever that could be operated from inside a car by the driver,” the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) explained. “The lever caused a spring-loaded arm with a rubber blade to swing across the windshield and then back again to [its] original position, thus removing droplets of rain or flakes of snow from the windshield’s surface.”
While other inventors had attempted to design a similar tool, Anderson was the first to make it work – and her device could even be removed once winter had passed.
Mocked for a Good Idea
Anderson developed the windshield wiper before cars were commonplace – inventor Henry Ford hadn’t even created the groundbreaking Model T yet. As such, she was frequently mocked over her idea, with many insisting the device would distract drivers, producing dangerous conditions on the road. Of course, history has shown that Anderson’s idea had the opposite effect. Thousands of Americans eventually started driving personal vehicles, and “mechanical windshield wipers” became the standard.
Small Parts, Big Difference
Windshield wipers may be small, but they make a big difference when it comes to safe driving. According to RainX, a brand specializing in weather-visibility, 90% of the decisions drivers make are “based solely on vision.”
Windshield wipers wear out over time and eventually need to be replaced – but many drivers wait too long to replace faulty wipers, impacting their ability to see the road and potential hazards. In areas that get more rain or rough weather, wipers become ineffective faster due to increased use.
An estimated one in five vehicles has “deficient windshield wipers or washing systems,” RainX explained. With nearly 300 million vehicles registered in the United States, that means around 46 million people are “driving with impaired vision during stormy weather.”
According to DriversEd.com, most drivers should get new windshield wipers every 6 to 12 months, but it is critical that car owners frequently examine their wipers to ensure they are functioning properly. When inspecting wipers, experts recommend looking for damaged, hard, or stiff rubber; bent wiper frames; streaks on the windshield; and skipping, clicking, squeaking, or vibration when in use.
“If your windshield wipers aren’t performing properly, it’s time to replace them even if you don’t see signs of wear,” DriverEd.com explained. “As long as you keep an eye on how your windshield wipers look and function, you should be able to get them replaced before they become a liability rather than a safety feature.”
The next time you inspect your windshield wipers before driving in bad weather, you can thank Mary Anderson for helping keep your view clear and you safe on the open road.
- Mary Anderson invented windshield wipers.
- Anderson was mocked for her idea, but the device eventually became standard equipment in all vehicles.
- It’s important to periodically inspect windshield wipers and replace them if they are not functioning properly.