Sheela Na Gig Episode 16: Mary Elizabeth Anderson

Mary Elizabeth Anderson was was an entrepreneur, real estate developer, rancher, viticulturist, and inventor. She built and managed an apartment building in Birmingham, Alabama, and owned and operated a cattle ranch and vineyard in Fresno, California. She was also, most notably, the inventor of what became known as the windshield wiper. Anderson's ingenuity, dedication and methodical progression from idea to sketch to eventually patent the window wiper, demonstrates her perseverance and self belief, despite the obstacles. She filed her windshield wiper patent before Henry Ford even started manufacturing cars. Unfortunately, Anderson failed to ever reap any financial benefits from her invention, during her lifetime, and as a result she's sadly been relegated to a footnote in the history of automobiles. The good news though is that Anderson was FINALLY inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2011, nonetheless, you perhaps still don't know about her or enough about her and you should! This Sheela was fierce and her tenacity steadfast. Check her out here - and now you'll thank her every time you find yourself driving in the rain with your wipers on!

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