Inspiration for the Windshield Wiper

Most motor vehicles can be comfortably driven through rain and sleet, but that wasn’t always the case. When Mary Anderson saw a New York streetcar driver, getting out of his vehicle to clear the windshield, she knew she could make a difference. Anderson opened her sketchbook and worked out a design for the windshield wiper, which she patented in 1905. It became a standard feature on American-made automobiles as early as 1916.