This delightfully illustrated book examines inventions and discoveries made by women, beginning with the first patent application made in 1637 and ending with the outbreak of war in 1914. Lively accounts of the stories of the inventions are placed into the context in which their discoveries were made, and the struggle they had to acquire patents and put their inventions into production. In covering this previously obscure part of women's lives, the practical way in which women have made an enormous contribution to social change and scientific advance is revealed.