March is National Women’s History Month in the United States. Even though women have always played significant roles in historical developments across the globe, these accomplishments have not always been recognized. Until the 20th century, the historical contributions of women were often overlooked in history books. Women’s History Month commemorates the variety of accomplishments women have made in government, civil rights, business, and other pursuits.
Like many other industries, the automotive business has historically been viewed as a male-dominated field. However, women have influenced the auto industry in several different ways, such as technological innovations, new inventions, and leadership. In honor of National Women’s History Month, here are four women who have helped to shape the automotive industry.
Bertha Benz
Bertha Benz was the wife of one of the automotive industry’s most influential figures, Carl Benz, who is regarded as the “father of the automobile industry.” However, Bertha was much more than a spouse to this automotive giant, as she left her own sizable mark on the industry. Bertha and her husband were partners in both love and business, and she became one of the automotive industry’s first female pioneers in the 19th century.
On August 5, 1888, Bertha Benz became the first person to drive an internal combustion-engine vehicle over a long distance. This trip also marked the first time a woman took a vehicle for a test drive. She was 39 years old at the time and brought her sons Richard and Eugen along for the drive from Mannheim to Pforzheim in Germany. She did not tell her husband or ask for permission before taking this historic road trip, which covered about 66 miles in a single day.
This pioneering road trip had its share of difficulties, as the roads at that time were designed for horses and carriages. Bertha Benz had to conduct several of her own repairs along the way. During one incident in which her brakes failed, she improvised and invented the world’s first brake pad.
Alice Huyler Ramsey
In the early 20th century, Alice Huyler Ramsey became the first woman to drive an automobile coast-to-coast across the United States. She was married to congressman John R. Ramsey, who bought her a Maxwell runabout in 1908 when she was 22 years old. Her first vehicle sparked an immediate love affair with automobiles and driving, as she put over 6,000 miles on the runabout that summer.
In September 1908, Ramsey drove a Maxwell in the American Automobile Association’s Montauk Point endurance race and was one of two female participants in the race. During this event, another Maxwell driver named Carl Kelsey suggested the coast-to-coast road trip, and Maxwell-Briscoe agreed to provide the car, parts, and assistance for the trip. The automotive company agreed to facilitate the road trip as part of a marketing ploy.
In June 1909, the 22-year-old Ramsey started her 3,800 mile transcontinental road trip in Manhattan, planning to finish the trip in San Francisco. While the original goal was to finish the trip by mid-July, Ramsey finally arrived in San Francisco after 59 days, on August 7. Although she did not meet the goal, this was still a seminal event in the history of the automotive industry, and she received a warm welcome of thunderous applause upon completing the trip.
Margaret Wilcox
Did you know that a woman invented the first car heating system? Margaret Wilcox was one of only a handful of female engineers in the 19th century. In 1893, at 55 years old, she was granted a patent for the world’s first internal car heating system.
Anderson crafted a system that drew heat from the vehicle’s engine and redirected it to the passenger cabin, keeping the vehicle’s occupants warm. While the original system has been updated over the years, Anderson’s invention continues to inspire modern car heating systems today.
Mary Anderson
Heating systems are not the only major piece of automotive technology invented by women. Mary Anderson was a successful real estate developer, rancher, and viticulturist before she invented the world’s first windshield wipers in 1902.
Anderson was riding in a trolley car on an icy day when she noticed that the trolley car driver had trouble seeing due to poor visibility caused by sleet. Even though the trolley car was designed to maintain visibility in bad weather, the vehicle’s multi-pane windshield system did not work well. Thus, the driver needed to manually open the window and wipe the windshield himself.
Anderson saw a business opportunity when witnessing these struggles. She thought of windshield wiper blades that could be operated from inside of the trolley. Soon after returning to her home of Alabama, Anderson hired a designer to craft the hand-operated windshield wiper device and hired a local company to produce a working model. In 1903, she successfully applied for a 17-year patent for windshield wipers.