August is National Inventors' Month. Many inventors discovered, developed, and designed ways to enhance and improve our lives. The twentieth century gave rise to indoor plumbing and the dishwasher; shortened skirts and pantyhose; bobbed hair and the modern brassiere; and women’s abilities to legally vote in national elections and to legally use birth control.

Women and men have witnessed an increase in life expectancy, health, and quality of life due to decades of inventions, scientific discoveries, technological advances, and medical treatments. However, it is still important to take daily steps to improve our health, including eating a healthy diet, increasing physical activity, and avoiding smoking.

Below is a selected listing of advances occurring from 1901-2003 that have benefited women over the years.

Quick Facts • The first US patent issued to a woman went to Mary Dixon Kies in 1809 for a process of weaving straw with silk or thread. • About 20 percent of all inventors are female. • Hundreds of thousands of women apply for and receive patents each year in the US. • There are over 50 women named as inventors on US patents issued for CDC inventions.

LINKS ON THIS PAGE
1900s
1910s
1920s
1930s
1940s
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
Related Links

1900s

1901: A double-edged safety razor was invented. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/telephone/
timeline/timeline_text.html (Non-CDC site)

1908: The first electric washing machine was introduced with a galvanized tub and an electric motor.
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blwashingmachines.htm (Non-CDC site)

1910s

1915: Radical mastectomy was proven to be an effective treatment for breast cancer.
http://www.womenshealth.gov/TimeCapsule/century/appendix_a.htm (Non-CDC site)

1918: Condoms became legal in the United States.
http://my.webmd.com/content/article/71/81244.htm?action=related_link (Non-CDC site)

1920s

1928: Penicillin, used in treating bacterial infections, was discovered.
http://www.nobel.se/medicine/educational/penicillin/readmore.html (Non-CDC site)

1929: The modern tampon (with an applicator) was first invented and patented.
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bltampons.htm (Non-CDC site)

1930s

1930: A frozen food system that packed dressed fish, meat, or vegetables into waxed-cardboard cartons and flash-froze them under high pressure was patented.
http://web.mit.edu/invent/iow/birdseye.html (Non-CDC site)

1932: A defibrillator, a device for jump-starting the heart with a burst of electricity, was developed. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/telephone/timeline/timeline_text.html (Non-CDC site)

1933: Sodium pentathol was introduced as an anesthesia for childbirth, giving more women pain relief during childbirth and delivery.
http://www.womenshealth.gov/TimeCapsule/century/appendix_a.htm (Non-CDC site)

1935: Sulfonamides were introduced as a cure for puerperal fever ("childbed fever"), contracted from unsterile conditions during childbirth and a leading cause of maternal death. http://www.womenshealth.gov/TimeCapsule/century/appendix_a.htm (Non-CDC site)

1938: Nylon, a plastic that could be drawn into strong, silk-like fibers, was invented. Nylon soon became popular as a fabric for hosiery.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/telephone/timeline/timeline_text.html (Non-CDC site)

1940s

1941: Pap tests were introduced to detect changes in the cells of a cervix that might indicate infection or cancer. Find out more about cervical cancer and Pap tests.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000893.htm (Non-CDC site)
http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/nbccedp/info-cc.htm

1942: Premarin was approved by the FDA as a conjugated estrogen treatment for menopausal symptoms and related conditions.
http://www.fda.gov/cder/news/cebackground.htm (Non-CDC site)

1950s

1950: The disposable diaper was invented.
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bldiaper.htm (Non-CDC site)

1952: The Apgar score, used to assess the health of newborns, was developed.
http://www.greatwomen.org/women.php?action=viewone&id=14 (Non-CDC site)

1953: The first successful open heart surgery using a heart-lung machine was performed.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/telephone/timeline/timeline_text.html (Non-CDC site)

1953: The double helix structure of DNA was described.
http://www.accessexcellence.org/AB/BC/1953-1976.html (Non-CDC site)

1960s

1960: The birth control pill was approved by the FDA. http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/1997/babytabl.html (Non-CDC site)

1969: The mammogram, the first x-ray machines used just for breast imaging, became available. Find out more about mammography and breast cancer. http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_6X_Mammography_
and_other_Breast_Imaging_Procedures_5.asp (Non-CDC site)
http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/nbccedp/info-bc.htm

1970s

Early 1970s: Trans-abdominal surgical sterilization was approved by the FDA. This procedure blocks the woman's fallopian tubes, preventing conception.
http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/1997/babytabl.html (Non-CDC site)

1976: The currently-marketed intra-uterine device (IUD) for birth control was approved by the FDA. http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/1997/babytabl.html (Non-CDC site)

1976: The first home pregnancy kits were approved by the FDA. http://www.history.nih.gov/exhibits/thinblueline/timeline.html (Non-CDC site)

1979: The x-ray machine that measures bone mineral density was approved by the FDA.
http://www.fda.gov/womens/milesbro.html (Non-CDC site)

1980s

1981: Assisted reproductive technology (ART) was used to help women become pregnant, most commonly through the transfer of fertilized human eggs into a woman's uterus.
http://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/ART01/

1984: Nicotine polacrilex gum was approved by the FDA.
http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/overview/chron96.htm

1985: Lumpectomy, combined with radiation therapy, was declared an effective breast cancer treatment.
http://www.womenshealth.gov/TimeCapsule/century/appendix_a.htm (Non-CDC site)

1990s

1990: The FDA approved Norplant, a surgically implanted contraceptive under the skin that prevents pregnancy for up to five years.
http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/1997/babytabl.html (Non-CDC site)

1991: The nicotine patch was approved by the FDA as a prescription drug.
http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/overview/chron96.htm

1992: The FDA approved Depo Provera, an injectable contraceptive that prevents pregnancy for three months.
http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/1997/babytabl.html (Non-CDC site)

1993: The female condom was approved by the FDA. http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/1997/babytabl.html (Non-CDC site)

1994: The DNA sequences of two genetic mutations (BRCA1 and BRCA2) linked to breast cancer were identified, leading to the possibility of genetic testing for high-risk women. http://www.womenshealth.gov/TimeCapsule/century/appendix_a.htm (Non-CDC site)

1994: Zidovudine (ZDV) guidelines were published regarding use to reduce perinatal human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission from mother to fetus.
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00032271.htm

1996: The FDA mandated folic acid fortification in all breads and grains sold in the United States. The effort was directed toward women in their reproductive years to reduce their risk of giving birth to a child with certain neural tube defects.
http://www.fda.gov/oc/history/makinghistory/folicacid.html (Non-CDC site)

1998: The first emergency contraception pill was approved by the FDA for pregnancy prevention in women who had unprotected sex.
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/ANSWERS/ANS00892.html (Non-CDC site)

2000s

2000-2003: Several birth control products were approved by the FDA, including a skin patch, flexible ring, monthly hormone injection, rubber disk, intra-uterine device effective for five years, rubber cup, and pill taken in 3-month cycles.
http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/1997/babytabl.html (Non-CDC site)

Related Links

Tips for a Healthy Life for Women
http://www.cdc.gov/women/tips.htm

Women Inspiring Hope and Possibility in Health
http://www.cdc.gov/women/owh/wominspire/index.htm

CDC Technology and Transfer Office: Inventions, Patents, and Licenses
http://www.cdc.gov/od/ads/techtran/

Ten Great Public Health Achievements in the 20th Century
http://www.cdc.gov/media/tengpha.htm

US Patent and Trademark Office
http://www.uspto.gov/ (Non-CDC site)

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This page last reviewed September 30, 2004: Historical Document
URL: http://www.cdc.gov/women/owh/invent/index.htm

US Department of Health and Human Services
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Office of Women's Health