Katharine Blodgett became the first woman scientist hired at the General Electric research lab. She created “invisible” glass, which allowed 99% of light to pass through and no light reflections. The glass was first used in Hollywood cinematography in 1939. Today the glass has many applications. It is often used in telescopes, camera lenses, automobile windows, eyeglasses, and picture frames.

Two designers have the credit for inventing Monopoly – Charles Darrow and Elizabeth Magie. Monopoly was at first used for educational purposes, a way to show the economic consequences and ill effects of land monopolies and prove the value of an economy that rewards wealth creation. The game’s original title was “The Landlord’s Game.”

Mária Telkes was a pioneering scientist who worked on solar energy technologies. She was one of the founders of solar thermal storage systems. She designed the first solar heating system. Her role in solar innovations earned her the nickname “sun queen.” The American Solar Energy Society recognized her in 1977, giving her the Charles Greeley Abbot Award.

Once named “the most beautiful woman in the world,” Hedy Lamarr was a famous and fortunate Hollywood actress. During World War II, German submarines began to torpedo passenger ships. Hedy developed “spread spectrum” and “frequency hopping” technology. She obtained a patent in 1942.The principles of her work now serve as the basis for many modern technologies, including GPS, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. She joined the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2014.

Grace Hopper was a leader and innovator of computer programming language. Grace Hopper worked as a programmer on the first computer, specifically the Harvard Mark 1 in 1944. Her development, COBOL, was one of the first high-level computer programming languages. She also popularized the term “computer bug” or “debugging” for fixing computer glitches.

Stephanie Kwolek was a chemist at DuPont for over 40 years. She developed the synthetic fiber Kevlar (Bulletproof Vest) in 1965. Kevlar is five times stronger than steel. Today, it’s used as military personal armor like combat helmets, ballistic face masks, and bulletproof vests.