Innovations – Engine Icon

Automotive Innovations by Women – Kelley Blue Book

admin — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 12:33:28 +0000

Windshield wipers. Car heaters. Turn signals.
What do all these have in common?

In honor of National Women’s Month, let’s take a moment to recognize some of the incredible innovations created by talented women throughout history. We may take these innovations for granted, but they impact our vehicles and our world in significant ways.

Let’s dig in!

The Humble Windshield Wiper

Pictured left: Mary Anderson

The windshield wiper is a perfect example of an invention people use every single day, yet rarely consider how it became a common (and essential) automotive feature.

Picture this…

The year was 1903. It was a frigid, snowy day in New York City. Mary Anderson noticed that streetcar operators had to open a window to see through the snow that had accumulated on the front window. Some operators even stopped the streetcar to get out and clear their windshields by hand.

Mary had an idea she quickly patented: a lever inside the vehicle that controls a spring-loaded arm with a rubber blade at the end. The lever, which had a counterweight to keep the wiper in contact with the window, could move the blade across the windshield, removing rain or snow.

The windshield wiper was eventually adapted for automotive use. In 1922, Cadillac began installing windshield wipers as standard equipment on its cars.

So, next time you take a drive through the rain or snow, thank Mary Anderson for your clear view of the road.

Turn Indicators and Stop Signals

Pictured: Florence Lawrence

While many people likely assume that innovation occurs only in a lab or by an engineering team, that assumption is far from the truth.

Florence Lawrence, one of the original Hollywood movie stars, came up with a significant innovation: The turn signal.

She was known at the time for her many short films known as “one-reelers,” typically shot in a week. In the early days of Hollywood, many actors and actresses didn’t receive credit for their work as they do today, yet Florence’s face was recognizable, so she became known as “The Biograph Girl” (named after the film studio where she was on salary).

In these early days of automotive, cars were quite expensive for most consumers. Fortunately (for all of us), Florence had both an interest and the means to be an early enthusiast.

Her first accessory innovation was the “auto signaling arm.” Despite being the first of its kind, this feature was curiously similar to modern turn signals, with the driver operating buttons on the dash which raised and lowered arms on the rear fender of the vehicle.

The secondary component was a stop sign on the rear of the vehicle, activated by pressing the brake and raising a sign to notify other drivers of her intention.

It’s remarkable how these simple innovations are still incorporated in today’s vehicles. Though the technology has advanced, the basic idea is the same: Signal your intent to other drivers and reduce the chance for accidents. Thanks, Florence Lawrence! Now, if we could only solve the issue of drivers who fail to signal.

The Car Heater

Pictured right: Steam train during winter, Credit: Adobe Stock – serjiob74

For this innovation, we must go back to 1893.

Margaret A. Wilcox, born in 1838 in Chicago, was a mechanical engineer in an era when very few women held such a position. She was an avid inventor, creating multiple home appliance solutions. Her most significant idea, however, was not related to cars at all, at least at the time.

In Chicago, winter weather can subject railcar workers to dangerously frigid temperatures. Margaret had an idea to fix this problem.

After tinkering with the idea of harnessing heat from the locomotive’s engine and routing it to the train cars, she successfully filed U.S. patent number 509,415, the “car heater” on November 28, 1893.

Her patent would not find commercial success due to the lack of temperature control, which caused railcars to overheat. However, her innovations inspired similar heating solutions for automobiles. Automotive engineers followed Wilcox’s designs in 1917 for Jordan Automobiles of Cleveland, and in 1929, Ford introduced the first factory-installed heater in its Model A.

Thank Margaret A. Wilcox the next time you feel comfortable and cozy behind the wheel while all around is white with snow.

The Transparent Invention

Pictured: Katharine Burr Blodgett, Credit: National Inventors Hall of Fame

Katharine Burr Blodgett was a prolific physicist and inventor. She had many notable achievements, including becoming the first woman to receive a doctorate in physics from the University of Cambridge in 1926.

She was closely involved with General Electric (GE) throughout her life, and her father even served as a patent attorney for the company. After her graduation from college, she returned to the company as a research scientist, where she partnered with Irving Langmuir (a Nobel laureate and National Inventors Hall of Fame® Inductee).

Her work built upon Langmuir’s discoveries, creating multilayer anti-reflective coatings on glass, and thus, Blodgett successfully produced the world’s first completely transparent glass, or “invisible glass.”

This invention was key to the glass used in automotive applications, such as windshields and windows, among many others.

The Langmuir-Blodgett technique was patented in 1938 (U.S. Patent No. 2,220,860) and has essentially remained unchanged since Blodgett’s discovery.

While Kathryn Burr Blodgett’s innovation may have been transparent, we can clearly see the impact of her achievements.

Movie Star… and Inventive Genius

Pictured: Hedy Lamarr, Credit: National Inventors Hall of Fame

Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth… these are all technologies that, in the 1940s, would likely have been considered science fiction, yet we use them daily in modern vehicles.

What I find even more incredible is that the technology that made these innovations possible, frequency-hopping spread spectrum (FHSS), was invented and patented by Hedy Lamarr, the famous movie star.

Her life (which could be an entire movie in its own right) was marked by perseverance, cultural struggles, and commercial success. However, some of her most notable and lasting work was done in her free time between shoots.

Lamarr’s first marriage was with Friedrich Mandl, a prominent arms dealer. At the time, in the late 1930s, she attended an arms deal and discovered that the Navy desired a guidance system for torpedoes that could not be jammed by enemies. Working with composer and pianist George Antheil, she created a design for an FHSS system reminiscent of a piano roll. Lamarr submitted the idea to the National Inventors Council (NIC) in late December 1940.

Pictured: U.S. patent 2,292,387, Hedy Lamarr’s “Secret Communication System”

On June 10, 1941, she successfully filed the design as U.S. patent 2,292,387, also known as “Secret Communication System.” Lamarr granted the Navy free use of the patent, but they declined to use the technology at the time, claiming it was too large for the intended application.

FHSS technology is prevalent today, with many wireless systems leveraging Lamarr’s innovation.

While Hedy Lamarr’s filmography may not be familiar to modern audiences, her work on FHSS technology impacts many wireless systems today. It’s difficult to imagine today’s automotive landscape with wireless connections, for which we can thank Hedy Lamarr.

A History of Innovation

While my list may be short, hundreds of thousands of women throughout history have contributed their lives to advancing the technology used in vehicles worldwide.

Without these important women, the world and its automobiles would be very different.

Source link

Top Automotive Innovations of the Past 100 Years – 1920s: Closed Bodies

admin — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 10:23:15 +0000

While exploring Kelley Blue Book’s centennial celebration, I became interested in the most significant automotive innovations of the last 100 years. I was able to dilute this significant period into decade-sized bites to get to the bottom of what innovations really changed the automotive industry each decade.

Let’s dive in…

The 1920s

The 1920s introduced ordinary Americans to the automotive industry, thanks to Henry Ford’s refinement and implementation of the assembly line. Millions of new buyers gained access to previously too-expensive vehicles thanks to automation, bringing their costs down to between $260 and $850, according to the Henry Ford Museum. This price translates to between $4,500 and $15,000 in 2026 buying power, according to most inflation calculators.

It was also during this time that Los Angeles used-car dealer Les Kelley circulated lists of vehicles he wanted to buy and the prices he was willing to pay. Interest grew, and Kelley’s lists evolved into the first version of Kelley Blue Book in 1926.

Read about Kelley Blue Book’s history

With the advent of this new era of car ownership, it quickly became clear that without a closed cabin, the driver and their passengers would be at the mercy of Mother Nature. Early vehicles often looked reminiscent of what came before — essentially a horse-drawn carriage with an open top.

The Birth of the Closed-Body Model A

This need prompted the introduction of closed bodies, often made from fabric or steel early in the decade. At the beginning of the decade, only 16% of vehicles had a closed cabin. However, by the end of the decade, due to the proliferation and widespread adoption of closed bodies by automotive manufacturers, nearly 90% of vehicles adopted this design. One of the most notable examples of this transition came with Ford’s release of the Model A, featuring a closed top when it debuted in 1927.

The new closed-body design was so popular that upholstery and body shops were often fully booked by customers interested in converting their vehicles from open to closed, preferring to remain protected from the elements. Over time, fabric and canvas tops were replaced with more durable materials such as glass and steel.

This new development, which focused on driver comfort and safety, was the first in a long line of innovations that led to the vehicles we know and love today.

Explore automotive innovations from other decades below:

Source link

Top Automotive Innovations of the Past 100 Years – 1950s: Power Steering and Power Brakes

admin — Sat, 07 Mar 2026 22:21:41 +0000

Like many important automotive innovations, power steering and power brakes were not invented in the era that saw their widespread use. These features were more common on high-end and luxury vehicles at the beginning of this decade. However, by the end of the 1950s, many mid-range cars were also fitted with this groundbreaking technology.  

The 1950s

It started in 1951 with Chrysler’s Hydraguide hydraulic power steering system.

This system used hydraulic fluid pressurized by a belt-driven pump to push and control steering racks. Hydraguide required regular checks and maintenance to function as designed. The technology set a new standard for luxury in the early part of the decade, and despite being an expensive option at the time, it quickly became popular thanks to the greater ease of driving it offered.

Image courtesy of Chrysler

The same popularity and acceptance followed the introduction of power brakes in the early ’50s. Chrysler was an early adopter of hydraulic power disc brakes, which became more commonplace than their traditional (and less effective) drum brake counterparts.

Eventually, these systems were replaced by the electronically controlled versions we know today, but at the time, these innovations made vehicles more accessible and practical for millions of drivers.     

Explore automotive innovations from other decades below:

Source link

Top Automotive Innovations of the Past 100 Years – 1960s: 3-Point Seatbelt

admin — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 10:19:24 +0000

The 1960s were an era defined by societal change, significant cultural events such as the Moon landing, the birth of the pony car, and the rise of critical safety regulation in the automotive industry.

The Invention and Its Effect

Image courtesy of Volvo

In the early 1960s, most vehicles on the road used the classic lap seatbelt common to cars of the era. In 1959, at the tail end of the ’50s, Volvo designer Nils Bohlin invented the 3-point seatbelt. Volvo then made this innovation freely available worldwide through an open patent.

Though it may not be the most exciting innovation on our list, the 3-point belt is one of the most significant, as it has been directly credited with saving millions of lives worldwide, with regulatory enforcement beginning in 1968 in the U.S..

The credit for the success and importance of the 3-point seatbelt is also clear in its continued use and regulation, more than six decades after its first introduction.   

Video by Insurance Institute for Highway Safety displaying why seatbelts can save lives.

Explore automotive innovations from other decades below:

Source link

Top Automotive Innovations of the Past 100 Years – 1970s: Catalytic Converters

admin — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 22:15:55 +0000

With the rise of automobiles and production reaching hundreds of millions by the 1970s, it was clear that emissions and smog were becoming a problem, especially in large cities.

The Clean Air Act of 1970

A significant step toward addressing the rise in toxic emissions began with the Clean Air Act of 1970. This legislation paved the way for regulation, which led to the introduction of catalytic converters first in California.   

“The problem with automobile engines is that the by-products of combustion are not entirely carbon dioxide and water, but also contain unburned or incompletely burned gasoline, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxides. The catalytic converter was designed to correct this problem.” – Robert E. Haag in an article for EBSCO, a leading information services provider.

By 1975, there was significant resistance from some members of the automotive industry, such as Chrysler Vice President Alan Loofbourrow, who insisted that catalytic converters were “the dumbest thing that ever happened to the automobile.” However, the 2-part catalytic converters had become standard equipment for the majority of vehicles by the end of the decade, improving efficiency and air quality. This also led to lead being removed from gasoline (as it would contaminate the converters) and was an overall step toward public awareness of environmental concerns tied to vehicles.

An Unintended Side Effect

The introduction of catalytic converters stands as one of the first major efforts in automotive environmental protection, rather than a component intended solely to improve the driving experience. Ironically, this focus on improving air quality actually led to improved horsepower and efficiency, as previously, engineers had tried to work around emissions by detuning engines and sacrificing performance.

Explore automotive innovations from other decades below:

Source link