Girls Think of Everything

By Peter Lloyd

What do windshield wipers, alphabet blocks, hot water heaters, Scotchgard, frequency hopping, disposable diapers, bullet-proof vests, Apgar tests, engine mufflers, chocolate chip cookies, the circular saw, Snuglis, white out, dishwashers, street cleaners, and life rafts have in common?

Yes, women invented all of them. Notice how this partial list encompasses machinery, toys, domestic goods, along with medical and military items. Not just stuff for moms, kids, and secretaries. Surprised?

I lived through a time when it was not uncommon for everyday folks to assume that, well, men did all the inventing and other creative stuff. My mother set me straight, however, when I was very young, beginning with a lecture on the contributions of Marie Curie.

At that time even my mother did not know the story of how Francis Crick, James Watson, and Maurice Wilkins pretty much ignored the contribution of Rosalind Franklin to their Nobel Prize-winning discovery of the double-helix structure of DNA.

Just in case you know a young girl with invention potential — and what girl doesn’t have it? — you might want to lead her to Girls Think of Everything: Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Women written by Catherine Thimmesh and illustrated by Melissa Sweet, described by the School Library Journal as:

An outstanding collective biography of women and girls who changed the world with their inventions. Thimmesh surveys unique and creative ideas that were both borne of necessity or were simply a product of ingenuity and hard work.

The forward progress of inclusion will never be stopped, not permanently at least, but no one dare say the march must cease. In the interests, then, of making sure we continue to encourage more young women in all creative fields, here are some resources for inspiring tomorrow’s creative greats.

It’s just a start. Give me more, and I’ll add them to the list.

Peter Lloyd is the proud father of Caitlin Ayers, once a very creative girl, now highly creative professional writer.

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