13 Brilliant Inventions That Changed the Way You Eat, All Created by Women

By AmiLin McClure

Ever eat something and wonder who invented it? Well, after some extensive research, I’ve learned that a bunch of smart, go-getter women came up with some of our favorite foods and many of the tools we use on the daily. So sorry to break it to you men out there, but you ain’t got nothin’ on these ladies.

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From back in the day to more recently women have changed how we eat over the years. Check out what they’ve done (in chronological order):

1. Beer

Just so all you manly men out there know, beer is definitely a girly drink. Apparently ancient Mesopotamian women were the first to develop, sell, and drink it. Beer historian Jane Peyton even said so.

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Even though it’s hard to pin down exactly who the first person was to invent beer, the next time you raise your can, be sure to make a toast to Ninkasi, the Sumerian goddess of brewing and beer.

MORE: Four Awesome Ways to Cook With Beer

2. Corn Mill

Sybilla Masters lived around Native Americans for most of her life and noticed that the women were working way too hard to grind maize into cornmeal.

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So she used her noggin and, in 1715, invented a machine that pounds the maize into cornmeal. She even went all the way to England so the device could be patented.

3. Ice Cream Maker

You better get down on your knees and praise Nancy Johnson for inventing the ice cream maker in 1846. And even though electric ice cream makers have been made since, her same basic model is still used today. I guess there’s really nothin’ like some good ole fashion vanilla ice cream.

MORE: 5 Killer Ice Cream Sandwich Combos You Need to Try Right Now

4. Cooking Stove

Before electricity was discovered, Elizabeth Hawk invented a stove in 1867 that spread heat evenly throughout the oven. This allowed things like bread to bake thoroughly, while remaining crisp and golden brown on top. YAS.

Within two months of her invention, over 2,000 models were sold. Talk about makin’ moves.

5. Paper Bag

Margaret Knight came up with the idea of a sturdy square-bottomed paper bag and in 1870, she invented a machine that would cut, fold, and glue a square bottom to paper bags. This helped evenly distribute the weight of all that shit you carry, actually making the brown bag useful.

Later on, Margaret realized that her idea had been stolen by Charles Annan, but she was ballsy enough to fight him. Using her own sketches and notes, Margaret proved that the invention was hers and won the case. You go, girl!

6. Dishwasher

Josephine Garis Cochran invented the very first working dishwasher. It all started because she was tired of her servants breaking her expensive dishes every time they washed them… #richbetch. And since Josephine couldn’t find a machine that met her needs, she decided to make one that would get the job done better and faster.

So a big shout out to Josephine for making our lives a whole lot easier.

7. Drip Coffee Machine

In 1908 coffee machines were not yet invented, and German housewife, Melitta Bentz, wanted that strong kick of coffee without bitter grounds.

So she designed her very own coffee machine with a filter by layering the bottom of her coffee pot with her son’s notebook paper. #resourceful. It actually ended up working and Melitta had her invention patented as a “Filter Top Device Lined with Filter Paper.“

FOR THE FULL LIST, CLICK HERE.

Photos courtesy of carpeseason.com, Flickr, antiqbuyer.com, womenrockscience.tumblr.com, wikiwand.com and Pinterest.

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