Hubbry Logo
Mary Anderson (inventor)Mary Anderson (inventor)Main
Open search
Mary Anderson (inventor)
Community hub
Mary Anderson (inventor)
logo
20 pages, 0 posts
0 subscribers
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Mary Anderson (inventor)
Mary Anderson (inventor)
Mary Anderson (inventor)
View on Wikipedia
from Wikipedia

Mary Elizabeth Anderson (February 19, 1866 – June 27, 1953)[1] was an American real estate developer, rancher, viticulturist, and most notably the inventor of what became known as the windshield wiper. On November 10, 1903 Anderson was granted her first patent for an automatic car window cleaning device controlled from inside the car, called the windshield wiper.[2][3]

Key Information

Early life

[edit]

Mary Anderson was born in Burton Hill Plantation, Greene County, Alabama, at the start of Reconstruction in 1866. Her parents were John C. and Rebecca Anderson. Anderson was one of at least two daughters. The other daughter was Fannie, who remained close to Anderson all her life. Their father died in 1870, and the young family was able to live on the proceeds of John’s estate. In 1889 she moved with her widowed mother and sister to the booming town of Birmingham, Alabama. Anderson’s education is unknown. She never married nor had any children.[4][5]

In Birmingham, Anderson became a real estate developer soon after settling and built the Fairmont Apartments on Highland Avenue. In 1893, Anderson left Birmingham to operate a cattle ranch and vineyard in Fresno, California. In 1898, she returned to Birmingham to help care for an ailing aunt. Anderson and her aunt moved into the Fairmont Apartments with Anderson’s mother, her sister Fannie, and Fannie’s husband G. P. Thornton. Anderson’s ailing aunt brought a trunk with her that contained a collection of gold and jewelry. From that time forward, Anderson’s family lived comfortably.[5]

Invention (windshield wipers)

[edit]

In 1903, it rarely occurred to anyone that rain on a moving vehicle’s windshield was a problem that could be eliminated. It was something drivers simply accepted and dealt with in their own ways, usually by stopping every once in a while and manually scraping off the windshield moisture that was causing them to see poorly while they were driving. Mary Anderson changed all of that with her invention of the windshield wiper, an idea that leapt into her mind as she traveled from Alabama to New York City. [6]

Around 1900, it is said that Anderson came into a large inheritance from an aunt. Eager to make exciting use of the money, she took a trip to New York City during the thick of winter in 1903.[7] During her trip, Anderson had a hard time seeing the sights because of harsh weather. Her driver even had a hard time seeing clearly too. In order to see, her driver drove with both windows open and would wipe down the snow and ice off the windshields with his hands. Anderson decided this method could be improved. [6] In 1902,[8] she visited to New York City in the winter. Anderson sat in a trolley car on a frosty day. Anderson observed that the trolley car driver struggled to see past the windows because of the falling sleet. Every few minutes, the driver had to reach through an opening in the glass to wipe the snow off the windshield.[9] The trolley car’s front window was designed for bad-weather visibility, but its multi-pane windshield system worked very poorly. Therefore, to clear the sights, the driver needed to open the window, lean out of the vehicle, or stop the car to go outside in order to wipe the windscreen with his or her hands. Anderson observed the agitated and uncomfortable behavior of the vehicle’s cold driver, who had to rely on all sorts of tricks like sticking his head out of the window, stopping the vehicle to clean the windshield in order to see where he was driving.[10] Anderson, who was not an engineer but an entrepreneur, identified the problem and its opportunity. She envisioned a windshield wiper blade that the trolley driver could operate from the inside. At that time, it rarely occurred to anyone else to eliminate the problem. It was something drivers simply accepted and dealt with.[11][12]

As a Southern woman, Anderson found the problem of the shivering driver novel to her and when she returned to Alabama, the problem stuck with her.[13] When she returned to Alabama, she drew up a sketch for a wiper blade that could be operated from inside a vehicle and wrote up the description. Her original solution was a “squeegee blade with a spindle attached to one end that passed through a hole in the top corner of the windscreen frame and was attached to a handle on the inside.[14] Later, as technology developed, the windshield wiper became operated by an electric motor, but it is still a squeegee on a spindle.[15]She also hired a designer for a hand-operated device to keep a windshield clear and had a local company produce a working model. Her device consisted of a lever inside the vehicle that controlled a rubber blade on the outside of the windshield. The lever could be operated to cause the spring-loaded arm to move back and forth across the windshield. A counterweight was used to ensure contact between the wiper and the window. The device could be easily removed if desired after the winter was over.[16] For her “window cleaning device for electric cars and other vehicles to remove snow, ice, or sleet from the window,” Anderson was awarded U.S. Patent No. 743,801.[17] Similar devices had been made earlier, but Anderson's was the first windshield clearing device to be effective. Anderson’s simple mechanism and basic design have remained much the same, but unlike today’s windscreen wipers, Anderson’s could be removed when not needed.[18][12]

She then applied for, and in 1903 was granted, a 17-year patent for a windshield wiper. The patent application was filed on June 18, 1903. On November 10, 1903, the United States Patent Office awarded Anderson patent number 743,801 for her Window Cleaning device.[8][1]

In 1903 when Anderson applied for the patent, cars were not very popular. Henry Ford’s Model A automobile had not been manufactured yet. Therefore, when Anderson tried to sell the rights to her invention through a noted Canadian firm of Dinning and Eckenstein in 1905, they rejected her application. They argued, "we do not consider it to be of such commercial value as would warrant our undertaking its sale." Furthermore, many could not see the value of her invention and stressed the risk that the driver would be distracted by operating the device and the moving wipers.[18]Many people were initially leery of Anderson’s windshield wiper invention, thinking it would distract drivers, but by 1916, windshield wipers were standard on most vehicles.[17]Her idea was even credited to a man, and many did not know that a woman had created it years before.[9]

By 1913, the automobile manufacturing business had grown exponentially and windshield wipers were standard equipment.[18] In 1922, Cadillac became the first car manufacturer to adopt them as standard equipment.[12] However, Anderson never profited from her invention or was given an recognition.[8] Giving up on partnering with companies to manufacture her invention, the patent expiring in 1920.[19][1] According to the National Inventors Hall of Fame, her invention was simply ahead of its time, and other companies and entrepreneurs were able to profit off her original ideas.[19]

Sara-Scott Wingo, rector of Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Richmond, Va., and Anderson’s great-great niece suspect Anderson’s invention never went anywhere because Anderson was an independent woman. Wingo said in an interview with NPR News, “She didn't have a father. She didn't have a husband. And the world was kind of run by men back then.”[8]

In 1917, Charlotte Bridgewood patented the “electric storm windshield cleaner,” the first automatic wiper system that used rollers instead of blades.[20][21] Like Anderson, Bridgewood never made any money from her invention.

Later life

[edit]

By the 1920s, Anderson’s brother-in-law had died, and Anderson was again living in the Fairmont Apartments in Birmingham with her sister Fannie and her mother. She continued to manage the Fairmont Apartments until her death at the age of 87. At the time of her death, she was the oldest member of South Highland Presbyterian Church. She died at her summer home in Monteagle, Tennessee. Her funeral was conducted by Dr. Frank A. Mathes at South Highland and she was buried at Elmwood Cemetery.[1][5]

Legacy

[edit]

In 2011 Anderson was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.[12] With minimal mention or recognition until 2011, thankfully Anderson’s sketch provides a glimpse of her entrepreneurial spirit and ambition. Rini Paiva, executive vice president at the National Inventors Hall of Fame said, "She was persistent, she was forward-thinking, and she had the drive to follow up on an idea."[19]

Further reading

[edit]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Mary Anderson (inventor)

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Mary Anderson (February 19, 1866 – June 27, 1953) was an American inventor, rancher, and real estate developer best known for patenting the first practical windshield wiper. Born in Greene County, Alabama, to parents who owned a plantation, Anderson conceived the idea for her device in 1902 while observing a streetcar motorman in New York City protruding his head out of the vehicle to clear snow and sleet from the windshield during winter weather. On November 10, 1903, she received U.S. Patent No. 743,801 for her "window cleaning device," which featured a lever-operated rubber blade attached to a spring-loaded arm, allowing the operator to clear the windshield from inside the vehicle without stopping. Though Anderson's addressed a clear need for early automobiles and electric vehicles by improving visibility in adverse conditions, it faced initial resistance from manufacturers who viewed wipers as unnecessary luxuries. The expired in 1917 without yielding significant financial returns for Anderson, who never drove herself, but her design laid the groundwork for the intermittent and automatic wipers that became standard equipment by the mid-20th century. In recognition of her contribution to automotive , Anderson was posthumously inducted into the in 2011. Beyond her mechanical innovation, she pursued in , producing wine from vineyards she established, though these endeavors also did not bring substantial wealth.

Early Life and Background

Birth and Family

Mary Elizabeth Anderson was born on February 19, 1866, at Burton Hill Plantation in Greene County, Alabama, during the early Reconstruction era following the American Civil War. Her parents were John C. Anderson, a plantation owner engaged in agriculture, and Rebecca Anderson; the family exemplified the Southern planter class through land ownership and farming operations in rural Alabama. John C. Anderson died in 1870, when Mary was four years old, leaving Rebecca to oversee the household amid the economic challenges of the postwar South. Anderson had at least one sister, Fannie, with whom she maintained a close relationship throughout her life. The rural environment of Greene County, centered on plantation-based agriculture, provided the backdrop for her early years, fostering a context of self-reliance in a region recovering from wartime devastation.

Pre-Invention Activities

Mary Anderson demonstrated entrepreneurial acumen in her early adulthood by engaging in in , following her family's relocation there in 1889 after her father's death. At age 23, she contributed to building and managing an apartment building, showcasing her capacity for independent as an unmarried woman in a era when such roles were uncommon for women. In 1893, at age 27, Anderson ventured westward to , where she operated a and , activities that highlighted her involvement in ranching and . These pursuits required hands-on oversight of agricultural and operations, further evidencing her in business endeavors away from familial support. By 1900, Anderson had returned to Birmingham, resuming her interests while funding personal travels independently, including a trip to in 1902 via streetcar. Her management of multiple properties and ventures underscored a pattern of financial and adaptability prior to her inventive pursuits.

Invention of the Windshield Wiper

Inspiration and Initial Concept

In winter 1902, while visiting from her home in , Mary Anderson rode a streetcar during a snowstorm and observed the motorman repeatedly stopping the to manually clear accumulating snow and ice from the using his hands or a cloth, a process that exposed him to harsh weather and delayed travel. This inefficient and unsafe practice highlighted the lack of a reliable method for maintaining driver visibility in adverse conditions, prompting Anderson to envision a mechanical solution operable from inside the to avoid such interruptions. Upon returning to , Anderson conceptualized an initial design featuring a inside the streetcar connected to an external with a rubber blade, intended to sweep from the glass without requiring the operator to exit. Her idea stemmed from practical problem-solving, prioritizing safety and efficiency for urban transit in inclement weather, rather than existing ad-hoc fixes like open windows or manual wiping.

Design Development and Patent

Mary Anderson developed her prototype by commissioning a local designer to construct a working model from her sketches, resulting in a mechanical device comprising a spring-loaded fitted with a rubber and a to ensure firm contact with the . The connected to a hand-operated inside the , enabling the driver to sweep the back and forth manually across the surface for clearing obstructions. This configuration prioritized mechanical simplicity and direct operator control, with the rubber and spring mechanism providing durability against repeated use while addressing the functional need to remove moisture or debris without requiring the driver to exit the . On November 10, 1903, the United States Patent and Trademark Office issued Anderson U.S. Patent No. 743,801 for her "window cleaning device for electric cars and other vehicles," explicitly intended to wipe away rain, snow, ice, or sleet from forward-facing windows. The patent specification detailed the device's components, including pivoting arms, bushings for rotation, and the squeegee element, underscoring its empirical focus on reliable, on-demand clearing to mitigate visibility hazards inherent to early motorized transport. The invention's manual operation distinguished it from prior rudimentary attempts, establishing a foundational engineering approach that emphasized causal efficacy in maintaining clear sightlines under adverse weather conditions.

Commercial Reception and Challenges

Manufacturer Responses and Rejections

Anderson attempted to commercialize her windshield wiper , granted on November 10, 1903, by pitching it to firms shortly thereafter. One such approach was to a Canadian firm, which rejected the device on the grounds that it offered no practical value for contemporary vehicles. Industry feedback highlighted specific concerns about the invention's and in the early automotive . Manufacturers argued that the wiper's oscillating motion could distract drivers, potentially compromising road safety. The device was also dismissed as superfluous, given that operators of early horseless carriages and streetcars could simply stop and wipe windshields manually with cloths during rain or snow. These rejections aligned with the nascent state of the automobile market around , when enclosed passenger cabs remained rare—comprising less than 10 percent of production even by 1919, with open-top designs predominant to prioritize ventilation and cost over weather protection. Evaluations emphasized empirical doubts about demand, as few vehicles featured fixed windshields requiring automated clearing, rather than any documented gender-related bias against Anderson.

Patent Expiration and Barriers to Adoption

Anderson's for the window cleaning device, U.S. No. 743,801, granted on November 10, 1903, carried a 17-year term under prevailing U.S. law, expiring on November 10, 1920. By 1920, U.S. automobile registrations had surged to over 8 million, compared to approximately 458,000 in and far fewer in the early , coinciding with the rapid proliferation of mass-produced vehicles. This timing meant that, upon expiration, manufacturers could freely adopt wiper mechanisms akin to Anderson's manual lever-operated design without owing royalties, depriving her of any licensing revenue during the device's potential commercialization peak. Key barriers to adoption during the patent's active period stemmed from the nascent automotive market and vehicle configurations. In , automobiles were scarce and typically featured open-top designs or foldable, non-enclosed windshields that prioritized airflow over weather protection, diminishing the perceived necessity for a dedicated cleaning device. Potential licensees, including a Canadian firm, dismissed the as lacking commercial viability and argued that manual operation would distract drivers, leading to rejections and an absence of investment partners or production deals. Consequently, Anderson realized no financial returns from her , as no scaled occurred under her control. Following expiration, subsequent innovations in wiper technology proceeded independently, often evolving toward motorized systems without direct attribution to Anderson's foundational manual concept. For instance, Charlotte Bridgewood patented an electric roller-based wiper in 1917, while the Folberth brothers introduced vacuum-operated wipers in 1919, patented in 1921, which gained traction as enclosed windshields became more standard in the . These developments capitalized on the expired status of Anderson's core idea, further illustrating how temporal misalignment with market readiness and the lack of early partnerships precluded her involvement in the technology's .

Later Life and Ventures

Business and Property Interests

Anderson engaged in in , where she and her family constructed the Fairmont Apartments at the corner of 21st Street and 10th Avenue South around 1912. Following its completion, she assumed the role of senior property manager for the building, overseeing operations for several decades while dividing her time between Birmingham and other holdings. In addition to urban real estate, Anderson owned and operated a 25-acre in California's , focusing on breeding and through the cultivation of wine grapes. These agricultural pursuits, alongside her duties, formed the core of her economic activities and supported her self-reliant lifestyle without reliance on invention royalties. Never having married or borne children, Anderson maintained full control over her business interests, enabling undivided attention to ranching and without domestic encumbrances. She filed no further patents after her 1903 design, prioritizing these tangible ventures over additional innovative endeavors.

Death and Personal Details

Mary Anderson died on June 27, 1953, at her summer home in , at the age of 87. She was interred in Elmwood Cemetery in , in a plot associated with her family. Anderson, who never married, maintained a private life in her final decades, residing primarily in Birmingham where she managed holdings such as the Fairmont Apartments on Highland Avenue, which sustained her modest rather than any proceeds from her 1903 . Throughout her later years, she avoided public efforts to promote or claim credit for invention, focusing instead on personal property interests without seeking broader acknowledgment during her lifetime.

Legacy and Historical Impact

Influence on Automotive Technology

Anderson's 1903 for a manual lever-operated introduced a mechanism to clear from windshields while remaining inside the cab, fundamentally addressing obstruction—a factor empirically associated with heightened crash risks during rain. Studies document that rainy conditions elevate crash incidence relative to dry weather, primarily through diminished forward vision caused by water accumulation on glass surfaces, with visibility reductions directly impairing hazard detection and reaction times. Her device enabled proactive maintenance of clear sightlines, mitigating these risks in an when drivers otherwise resorted to stopping vehicles or protruding limbs to wipe exteriors manually. The manual wiping principle established by Anderson influenced the of clearing , predating electric variants and becoming routine equipment across most automobile models by 1916. Early adopters retained her hand-operated lever concept before transitions to motorized systems, such as Cadillac's integration of automatic wipers in , which built upon the operable-from-interior framework to evolve toward seamless integration. This progression supported design advancements in weather-resilient vehicles, aligning with the exponential growth in automobile ownership post-1920, where consistent visibility became integral to scalable mass mobility without compromising operational safety in inclement conditions.

Posthumous Recognition

In 2011, Mary Anderson was posthumously inducted into the for developing the first effective windshield-clearing device, an innovation that addressed visibility issues in early vehicles despite initial commercial dismissal. This honor, conferred nearly six decades after her death in 1953, acknowledged her manual lever-operated wiper mechanism patented in 1903 as a foundational step in automotive safety technology. Anderson's contributions have been documented in regional historical references, including the Encyclopedia of Alabama, which credits her with inventing the first operational while noting its lack of immediate production due to manufacturer skepticism about market demand. overviews, such as those from the Lemelson-MIT Program, similarly highlight her ingenuity in observing trolley operator frustrations during a 1902 snowstorm, leading to a that prioritized practical utility over contemporary automotive norms. These posthumous assessments emphasize Anderson's role as an independent inventor from whose device anticipated broader adoption challenges tied to the nascent automobile industry, rather than attributing delays to external barriers, and affirm her legacy through empirical validation of the wiper's enduring design principles.

References

  1. https://www.invent.org/inductees/mary-anderson
  2. https://encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/mary-anderson/
  3. https://lemelson.mit.edu/resources/mary-anderson
  4. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/november-10/mary-anderson-patents-windshield-wiper
  5. https://patents.google.com/patent/US743801A/en
  6. https://www.invent.org/blog/inventors/mary-anderson-windshield-wipers
  7. https://www.thoughtco.com/mary-anderson-inventor-of-the-windshield-wiper-1992654
  8. https://www.bhamwiki.com/w/Mary_Anderson_%28inventor%29
  9. https://www.lexorbis.com/women-inventors-_-series-7_-mary-elizabeth-anderson/
  10. https://transportationhistory.org/2017/03/17/women-in-transportation-history-mary-anderson-inventor-of-the-first-practical-windshield-wiper/
  11. https://www.lottie.com/blogs/strong-women/mary-anderson-biography-for-kids
  12. https://www.npr.org/2017/07/25/536835744/alabama-woman-stuck-in-nyc-traffic-in-1902-invented-the-windshield-wiper
  13. https://www.epo.org/en/searching-for-patents/helpful-resources/patent-knowledge-news/patenticulars-16
  14. https://www.hertz.com/us/en/blog/automotive/mary-anderson-woman-who-set-windshield-wipers-motion
  15. https://www.datamp.org/patents/displayPatent.php?pn=743801&id=79964
  16. https://www.thedrive.com/news/windshield-wiper-inventor-mary-anderson-never-profited-from-her-invention
  17. https://missoulacurrent.com/windshield-wipers/
  18. https://wealthofwomen.substack.com/p/roofs-on-cars-were-considered-feminine
  19. https://www.ushistory.org/us/46a.asp
  20. https://thezebra.org/2023/12/04/no-one-bought-mary-andersons-windshield-wiper-concept-no-commercial-value-they-said/
  21. https://appleglasscompany.com/blog/tracing-the-history-of-the-humble-windshield-wiper/
  22. https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/meet-american-invented-windshield-wipers-mary-anderson-alabama-entrepreneur
  23. https://businessalabama.com/retrospect-an-alabama-woman-invents-a-standard-part-on-todays-autos/
  24. https://interestingengineering.com/engineers-directory/mary-anderson-engineer-bio
  25. https://kellykazek.com/2018/08/23/this-southern-woman-invented-windshield-wipers-but-never-made-a-cent/
  26. https://alabamanewscenter.com/2019/06/27/on-this-day-in-alabama-history-mary-anderson-died/
  27. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/48980367/mary_elizabeth-anderson
  28. https://www.al.com/life/2019/10/alabama-inventor-of-windshield-wiper-never-made-a-dime.html
  29. https://www.safehomealabama.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/safety-ompacts-inclement-weather.pdf
  30. https://ipwatchdog.com/2014/11/09/the-evolution-of-wind-shield-wipers-a-patent-history/
  31. https://www.hemmings.com/stories/tech-101-what-you-need-to-know-about-windshield-wipers/
  32. https://historicalsnapshots.substack.com/p/mary-anderson-invents-the-windshield
Add your contribution
Related Hubs
User Avatar
No comments yet.