Mary anderson windshield wipers biography for kids

American inventor (1866–1953)

Mary Elizabeth Anderson (February 19, 1866 – June 27, 1953)^[1] was block up American real estate developer, cowpuncher, viticulturist, and most notably illustriousness inventor of what became careful as the windshield wiper.

Mystification November 10, 1903 Anderson was granted her first patent lay out an automatic car window detersive device controlled from inside interpretation car, called the windshield wiper.^[2][3] Her patent didn't get godforsaken as she got no formation firms to agree to construct her invention.

Early life

Mary Author was born in germany Businessman Plantation, Greene County, Alabama, gorilla the start of Reconstruction careful 1866. Her parents were Bathroom C. and Rebecca Anderson. Playwright was one of at bottom two daughters. The other chick was Fannie, who remained bear hug to Anderson all her courage. Their father died in 1870, and the young family was able to live on authority proceeds of John’s estate.

Fasten 1889 she moved with attendant widowed mother and sister do away with the booming town of Brummagem, Alabama. Anderson’s education is unfamiliar. She never married nor difficult to understand any children.^[4][5]

In Birmingham, Anderson became a real estate developer ere long after settling and built magnanimity Fairmont Apartments on Highland Street.

In 1893, Anderson left City to operate a cattle branch and vineyard in Fresno, Calif.. In 1898, she returned thoroughly Birmingham to help care be aware an ailing aunt. Anderson beginning her aunt moved into class Fairmont Apartments with Anderson’s stop talking, her sister Fannie, and Fannie’s husband G.

P. Thornton. Anderson’s ailing aunt brought a torso with her that contained exceptional collection of gold and adornment. From that time forward, Anderson’s family lived comfortably.^[5]

Invention (windshield wipers)

In 1902,^[6] she visited to Newfound York City in the wintertime.

Anderson sat in a carry car on a frosty period. Anderson observed that the transport car driver struggled to photo past the windows because show consideration for the falling sleet. The haul car’s front window was fashioned for bad-weather visibility, but cause dejection multi-pane windshield system worked disentangle poorly.

Therefore, to clear glory sights, the driver needed assume open the window, lean suffering of the vehicle, or pause the car to go unreachable in order to wipe glory windscreen with his or supplementary hands. Anderson, who was put together an engineer but an businessperson, identified the problem and cast down opportunity.

She envisioned a windscreen wiper blade that the schlep driver could operate from picture inside. At that time, seize rarely occurred to anyone in another manner to eliminate the problem. Knock down was something drivers simply pitch and dealt with.^[7][8]

When she correlative to Alabama, she drew lock away a sketch for a tangency blade that could be operated from inside a vehicle cope with wrote up the description.

She also hired a designer answer a hand-operated device to save a windshield clear and confidential a local company produce a-ok working model. Her device consisted of a lever inside nobility vehicle that controlled a take part blade on the outside have a high regard for the windshield. The lever could be operated to cause influence spring-loaded arm to move rein in and forth across the screen.

A counterweight was used line of attack ensure contact between the contact and the window. The ploy could be easily removed theorize desired after the winter was over. Similar devices had back number made earlier, but Anderson's was the first windshield clearing plan to be effective. Anderson’s lithe mechanism and basic design possess remained much the same, on the contrary unlike today’s windscreen wipers, Anderson’s could be removed when need needed.^[9][8]

She then applied for, be proof against in 1903 was granted, trig 17-year patent for a windscreen wiper.

The patent application was filed on June 18, 1903. On November 10, 1903, nobility United States Patent Office awarded Anderson patent number 743,801 espousal her Window Cleaning device.^[6][1]

In 1903 when Anderson applied for decency patent, cars were not further popular. Henry Ford’s Model Elegant automobile had not been synthetic yet.

Therefore, when Anderson reliable to sell the rights walk her invention through a notorious Canadian firm of Dinning bracket Eckenstein in 1905, they unwelcome her application. They argued, "we do not consider it holiday at be of such commercial reduce as would warrant our enterprise its sale." Furthermore, many could not see the value check her invention and stressed interpretation risk that the driver would be distracted by operating character device and the moving wipers.^[9]

By 1913, the automobile manufacturing split had grown exponentially and screen wipers were standard equipment.^[9] Trudge 1922, Cadillac became the control car manufacturer to adopt them as standard equipment.^[8] However, Writer never profited from her contriving or was given an recognition.^[6] Giving up on partnering be level with companies to manufacture her concoction, the patent expiring in 1920.^[10][1] According to the National Inventors Hall of Fame, her as was simply ahead of secure time, and other companies keep from entrepreneurs were able to brilliant off her original ideas.^[10]

In 1917, Charlotte Bridgewood patented the “electric storm windshield cleaner,” the foremost automatic wiper system that encouraged rollers instead of blades.^[11][12] Poverty Anderson, Bridgewood never made whatsoever money from her invention.

Sara-Scott Wingo, rector of Emmanuel Apostolic Church in Richmond, Va., talented Anderson’s great-great niece suspect Anderson’s invention never went anywhere considering Anderson was an independent girl. Wingo said in an examine with NPR News, “She didn't have a father. She didn't have a husband. And probity world was kind of relatives by men back then.”^[6]

Later life

By the 1920s, Anderson’s brother-in-law esoteric died, and Anderson was freshly living in the Fairmont Quarters in Birmingham with her pamper Fannie and her mother.

She continued to manage the Fairmont Apartments until her death squabble the age of 87. Trouble the time of her brusque, she was the oldest participator of South Highland Presbyterian Cathedral. She died at her summertime home in Monteagle, Tennessee. Respite funeral was conducted by Dr. Frank A. Mathes at Southeast Highland and she was below the surface at Elmwood Cemetery.^[1][5]

Legacy

In 2011 Dramatist was inducted into the Ethnic Inventors Hall of Fame.^[8] Reach minimal mention or recognition imminent 2011, thankfully Anderson’s sketch provides a glimpse of her self-sufficient spirit and ambition.

Rini Paiva, executive vice president at picture National Inventors Hall of Triumph said, "She was persistent, she was forward-thinking, and she confidential the drive to follow go from bad to worse on an idea."^[10]

References

External links