Latta,
Sara L. The Woman Who Invented Windshield Wipers. Enslow 2014 48p
$23.93
ISBN 978-0-7660-4203-2 series: Inventors at Work elem/ms E-BN
Mary Anderson took her personal
observations about the difficulties faced by those who had to have a clear view
from
their vehicles in order to drive safely and devised the first windshield wiper. She patented the
invention but was unable to sell it. The need
for wipers on Model T’s finally allowed another person to sell the idea, and since then
wipers have improved, offering electric versions and appearing on the windshields of many different types of vehicles, and sometimes even
appearing on headlights. There is
a timeline of Mary’s life, a timeline of additional wiper improvements, a
chapter on what it takes to become an inventor, a glossary, lists for further reading, and an index. Black-and-white (due to the era in which the
photo was taken) and color photos augment the text. The concluding pages show windshield wipers on a variety of
vehicles. This widely used invention receives scant attention in other books.
Inventors at Work looks at the inspiration for each device, its inventor,
and how it finally arrived in mass production. Each device will be
familiar to students. Each book
has a timeline, glossary, lists for further
reading, an index and many illustrations/photos.
Summary: This book
describes the life of Mary Anderson, the first person to patent the windshield wiper. Even though she was
not able to sell her product, the book traces how and why the windshield wiper
became a profitable business and how it has morphed over the years. Grades 4-9
Women inventors,
Automobile inventions --Lois
McNicol
