March is National Women’s History Month! This year, we’re taking a look at three incredible women who made a mark on the automotive industry and continue to do so to this day.
Mary Anderson and the Windshield Wiper Blade
You’re driving along the highway when suddenly, the sky opens up and it starts to pour. What’s the first thing you do? We’re guessing you said turn on your windshield wipers, so you can actually see the road ahead.
Now imagine you’re in the same downpour with no windshield wipers. You probably have to stick your head out the window in an attempt to see the road clearly, and you can probably imagine what would happen next.
Early motor vehicles did not have windshield wipers. Instead, you just kind of had to hope for the best. That’s what the driver of the trolley car Mary Anderson was traveling in one day in 1902 did. As sleet fell and blocked his view out the windshield, Anderson watched the man stick his head out the window in order to see and knew there had to be a better way to deal with adverse weather on the road.
Anderson’s expertise was in real estate, so she hired a designer to help bring her vision to life. In 1903, Anderson was issued a patent for her windshield wiper blade that the driver controlled with a lever from the inside of their vehicle.
Unfortunately, Anderson never profited from her invention, as motor vehicles weren’t popular enough yet. Manufactures did not purchase the rights to the design because they did not know how valuable windshield wipers would end up being. By the time manufacturers realized this equipment should be made standard, Anderson’s patent just so happened to expire, leaving her without payment for her contribution to the industry.
Bertha Benz’s Road Trip
Bertha Benz made history for being the first person to drive a motor vehicle over a long distance. Benz and her business partner and husband, Carl, worked together in the late 1800s to produce early versions of the automobile. Benz tasked herself with testing the company’s models out in the field. She identified flaws in the designs of early versions of the Motorwagen and proposed solutions, including what went on to become brake lining and a better fuel line design.
Because Benz was a married woman, the law at the time wouldn’t allow her the rights she deserved as an inventor on the Motorwagen patent. This didn’t stop her from funding and testing the Motorwagen as the designed evolved over the years.
In 1888, Benz made the first cross-country drive in an automobile, traveling 66 miles with her teenage sons in order to prove that motor vehicles had the potential to travel greater distances than anyone imagined. It wasn’t an easy trip, but as one of the inventors of the vehicle, Benz used her experience and ingenuity to solve problems with the vehicle as they arose.
Benz used the drive as an opportunity to present the Motorwagen to the public, while also proving to her husband she could market the vehicle and get a return on her significant financial investment. Benz’s testing, problem-solving, and determination showed the auto industry what was possible if they kept moving forward.
Patrice Banks, Amanda Gordan, and WOCAN
Fast forward to present day, and women are making more moves in the auto industry than ever before. One way women are disrupting the traditionally male-dominated auto industry is thanks to the efforts of Patrice Banks and Amanda Gordan, the founders and CEOs of WOCAN (Women of Color Automotive Network).
Banks and Gordan founded WOCAN to create a much-needed community of women of color in the auto industry. Banks, a graduate of engineering from Leigh University is a self-described "auto airhead." She created a business model to specifically cater to the #1 customer in the auto industry: women! Banks’s ideas evolved into an auto repair shop run by women mechanics. She’s also an author and is currently working on a scripted comedy series about her Girls Auto Clinic repair shop.
Amanda Gordan has over 18 years of experience in the auto industry. Notably, she is the first Black woman in Colorado to own a car dealership. She’s an auto expert and an advocate for diversity in the industry. Gordan is a natural leader and mentor and helps women break into the auto industry.
Banks and Gordan’s work with WOCAN creates opportunities for women of color to become leaders in the automotive industry, in turn making the industry stronger than ever.
It’s safe to say that the automotive industry wouldn’t be where it is today without the creativity, ingenuity, and leadership of women. As we continue to celebrate Women’s History Month, let’s take the time to appreciate the invaluable contributions women have made historically and continue to make to the automotive industry.
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March is National Women’s History Month! This year, we’re taking a look at three incredible women who made a mark on the automotive industry and continue to do so to this day.