Mothers of Invention: From the Bra to the Bomb : Forgotten Women and Their Unforgettable Ideas

by Ethlie Ann Vare, Greg Ptacek

Describes how women invent such items as Liquid Paper, chocolate chip cookies, tract houses, brassieres, computer compilers, and nonreflecting glass

Genres: Nonfiction, Womens, Womens Studies

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

The wit behind Affection Deficit Disorder, the hot humor blog about behavioral addiction (yes, there is a funny side to addiction), Ethlie Ann Vare started out as a rock'n'roll disc jockey and became known as a camera-friendly expert on pop culture. That led to the internationally syndicated newspaper column ROCK ON, the founding of ROCK Magazine, and articles in everything from Billboard Magazine to the New York Times. She then became a sought-after lecturer on the college circuit talking about women's history, and later an award-winning TV screenwriter. Chalk it up to wide-ranging intellectual curiosity, ADHD, or a combination of the two.The much-lauded LOVE ADDICT: Sex, Romance and Other Dangerous Drugs was written about her own addiction and recovery, as well as providing a road map to relief for others. Other works include biographies of superstars (Stevie Nicks, Ozzy Osbourne, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand), adventures in distant galaxies (Andromeda: The Broken Places), and stories of women inventors and discoverers (Mothers of Invention and Patently Female.) She has written for TV shows from the ridiculous (Beastmaster) to the sublime (CSI). Her latest project is WOOF!, a children's picture book about a rescue dog who is actually a wolf mistaken for a dog. At least, he thinks he is.

Reviews

[dejah_thoris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great little book that covers a ton of female inventors with short (1-3 page) summaries of their life, invention, and its implications. Starts in antiquity and continues through the Cold War with discoveries classified by type except for the last section that focuses on famous and forgotten female inventors. A definite must-read for anyone interested in the wealth of female achievement in the STEM fields.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating. So many women are missing from the history books! One profile that stood out to me was Hattie Elizabeth Alexander. I survived meningitis when I was a kid thanks in part to her! She developed an antibody in the 1930s, which dropped the number of kids who died from meningitis by 80%!

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Crediting the many inventions made by women at last.