Women Inventors...betcha didn't know women invented these!

Many people believe that Sybilla Masters was the first American woman inventor. It is suspected that she developed a corn mill in 1712, but was denied a patent because, up until the late 1800s, women were not allowed to own any property or enter into any legal agreements in their own name. Masters' corn mill was finally patented three years later in her husband's name.

Though we'll probably never know how many women inventors there were in early American history, here are some of the inventors and their inventions that we do know about:

Circular Saw: Tabitha Babbitt (1812)

Submarine Telescope and Lamp: Sarah Mather (1845)

Paper Bag Machine: Margaret Knight (1871)

Dishwasher: Josephine Cochran (1872)

Elevated Railway: Mary Walton (1881)

Fire Escape: Anna Connelly (1887)

Medical Syringe: Letitia Geer (1899)

Street Cleaner: Florence Parpart (1900)

Windshield Wiper: Mary Anderson (1903)

Rotary Engine: Margaret Knight (1904)

Electric Water Heater: Ida Forbes (1917)

Muffler for Automobile Engine: El Dorado Jones (1917)

Scotchgard™ : Patsy O. Sherman (1956)

Kevlar (used in radial tires, crash helmets and bulletproof vests): Stephanie Kwolek (1966)