Home > Healthy Living > Inventions
Improving Women's Lives
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.
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Quick Facts |
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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. |
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About 20 percent of all inventors are female. |
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Hundreds of thousands of women apply for and receive patents
each year in the US. |
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There are over 50 women named as inventors on US patents issued
for CDC inventions. |
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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
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