MEET MARY ANDERSON
How would you feel if I told you that one of the most technological advancements in our lives was something that was invented back in the early 1900s?
It’s not computerized. It doesn’t make or receive calls, and it won’t help you even a little at homework time.
It’s…
… the windshield wiper.
That’s right; back in 1903, Mary Anderson received a U.S. patent for what she called “a window cleaning device for electric cars and other vehicles to remove snow, ice, or sleet from the window.” (The patent was issued to protect her idea from being stolen by others.)
It’s said that Ms. Anderson began to sketch an idea right there on the trolley car, conceiving what we now call windshield wipers. Her initial design featured wood and rubber wiper arms attached to a lever near the streetcar’s steering wheel. Pulling the lever caused the spring-loaded arm to drag back and forth across the window, thus clearing any precipitation. And she made the wipers removable, because she reasoned they weren’t needed when the bad weather season ended.
Sadly, people laughed at Ms. Anderson’s invention; they thought the movement of the wipers would be distracting and would possibly even cause accidents. Besides, since early vehicles didn’t travel at today’s high speeds, many didn’t even have windshields! Ms. Anderson’s patent expired in 1920, and as the number of personal cars on the road increased, many companies later copied her idea (once the patent had expired, others were free to create similar products).
Ms. Anderson never succeeded in marketing her innovation, which is ironic considering today’s cars cannot legally be driven without them.
Reverend Sara-Scott Wingo, Ms. Anderson’s great-great niece, had this to say: “We’re all really proud of her. I have three daughters. We talk about Mary Anderson a lot. And we all sort of feel like we want to be open and receptive to sort of our own Mary Anderson moments.”
Mary Anderson moments. Brilliance out of the blue. What a nice thought. Put your thinking cap on and try to have at least one today.
WHO NOSE WHERE GREAT IDEAS COME FROM?
After researching Ms. Anderson’s story, I felt very inspired. And that very week, I was riding on a New York City bus (they don’t have trolley cars anymore). It was a rainy day, and the bus driver was using her windshield wipers; they were greatly improving her visibility. I nodded to the man sitting across from me, as if to acknowledge that Ms. Anderson’s invention was doing a terrific job.
He had apparently never heard of Ms. Anderson, and he didn’t nod back. In fact, he sneezed. And I immediately began to sketch an idea right there on the bus. After getting off the bus two miles past my stop (that’s how excited I was!), I applied for a U.S. patent for what I called “a nose cleaning device for sloppy people to remove mucus from the face, shirt, and pants.”
The woman at the patent office said my invention was nothing to sneeze at. I took offense and told her yes, it was. She said, “No, it’s not. ‘Nothing to sneeze at’ means I think it’s a good idea.” I said thank you, but she still refused to give me the patent. Here’s my design:my…
I’m going back to the U.S. patent office with an even smarterer brillianter better idea that will put windshield wiper companies out of business! It’s
Car Umbrella!
To test it, I got the biggest umbrella I could find. My wife drove the car, and I opened the sunroof and stuck the giant umbrella up through it. I opened the umbrella and the car stayed dry for the whole trip! Not a drop of water on the car!
Amazing, right?
Well, it’s not that amazing. See, it actually wasn’t raining that day.
