List great inventions and what comes to mind? The telephone, penicillin, the internet, possibly? These innovations have undoubtedly altered history, shaping lives throughout the world. But with inventions that have impacted most significantly on women’s lives - rather than universally - it’s notable how many are also by women - often stepping into gaps hitherto overlooked.
Many such inventions transformed domestic spaces and responsibilities. For example, Derbyshire-born Valerie Hunter Gordon invented the disposable nappy in 1947 to cut out the “awful labour” of washing nappies. Surprised that no one seemed to have yet addressed the problem, she took matters into her own hands creating a prototype on her Singer. Her story is one of many that reinforce the phrase ‘necessity is the mother of invention’ and, for every Valerie, there will…
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The Simple Things (Digital) - 1 Issue, October 2022