Mary Anderson (1866–1953)
Inventor of the windscreen wiper
Mary Anderson was inspired to create her screen wiping device one winter day whilst travelling in a streetcar in New York. She realised the driver could hardly see through his windshield due to the snow, and had to open the two-part window to clear it, exposing his face to the elements. Anderson noted how impractical this was, and so sketched her wiper device right there in the streetcar.1
After a number of false starts, Mary developed a working prototype: a set of wiper arms made of wood and rubber, attached to a lever. When the driver pulled the lever, it dragged the spring-loaded arm across the window.1
