Windshield wipers' overlooked female inventor

Windshield wipers' overlooked female inventor On November 10, 1903, Birmingham businesswoman Mary Anderson was issued U.S. Patent No. 743,801 for her "Window-Cleaning Device." We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Before cars and buses became ubiquitous features of the modern cityscape, many cities installed streetcars to shuttle residents from neighborhood to neighborhood. In the summer months, the journey was a sweltering one, with dozens of sticky, sweaty passengers crammed together in the heat. The biggest problem wasn't that trolleys were unheated--that advancement came with their electrification in the 1890s--it was that sleet and snow made it impossible for streetcar drivers to see.