Rosalind Franklin

Rosalind Franklin was a British chemist whose research significantly influenced the work of Watson and Crick, the scientists now commonly associated with DNA. Unbeknownst to her, Watson and Crick utilized some of her unpublished findings alongside their own data to formulate their theory. Franklin is primarily recognized for her X-ray diffraction images of DNA taken while at King’s College London, especially Photo 51, which her student Raymond Gosling captured. This image was pivotal in the discovery of the DNA double helix, a breakthrough for which Crick, Watson, and Maurice Wilkins were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1962. Although Franklin’s role was overlooked during her lifetime, Crick later acknowledged her crucial contribution.

Ada Lovelace

Ada Lovelace, originally named Augusta Ada Byron, Countess of Lovelace, was the daughter of the renowned poet Lord George Gordon Byron. Her mother, Lady Byron, had a background in mathematics and encouraged Ada to study the subject, which was quite rare for women of her time. Lovelace received support in her advanced studies from Augustus De Morgan, the first mathematics professor at the University of London.

At the age of 17, Lovelace met Charles Babbage, who had developed a prototype for the first digital computer. She went on to draft the first programming instructions for it. While some circles recognize her as the first computer programmer, she has largely been overlooked by history because Babbage built the machine. Nevertheless, she was the first to envision the potential applications of computers beyond mathematics.

Nettie Stevens

Nettie Stevens was an American geneticist focused on sex determination. At the turn of the 20th century, it was widely believed that a child's sex was dictated by the mother and potentially influenced by environmental factors. Stevens began her scientific career later in life, transitioning from teaching to research at the age of 39 under Edmund Wilson.

While examining the mealworm, she discovered that males produced reproductive cells with both X and Y chromosomes, while females generated only X cells. She concluded that sex is determined by chromosomal factors, with males influencing the offspring's gender. Although Wilson published the findings and gained most of the credit, Stevens is often recognized for making the more significant theoretical advance, which was eventually validated.

Marie Tharp

Marie Tharp, born in 1920 to a soil surveyor, developed an early fascination with cartography and geology. Despite the limited opportunities for women in science at that time, she pursued a master's degree in geology, aided by the fact that many young men were away serving in WWII. She also earned a master's degree in mathematics.

After a brief stint in the petroleum industry, Tharp joined Columbia University’s Lamont Geological Laboratory. While the idea of continental drift was being considered, it was still deemed unlikely. Maurice "Doc" Ewing, the lab's founder, initiated a project to explore the ocean floor with new sonar technology.

Due to restrictions on women aboard Navy ships, Tharp remained on land, analyzing data sent back by geologist Bruce Heezen. This meticulous work, done long before computers, was something she relished, as she later reflected, “The whole world was spread out before me.”

Tharp eventually found evidence of a massive mountain chain indicating that oceanic crust was separating. It took her nearly a year to persuade Heezen, who initially dismissed her findings as “girl talk,” to recognize their significance. He only changed his stance when evidence of earthquakes beneath the rift valley she discovered was validated, and it became evident that the rift extended throughout the Atlantic—now recognized as Earth’s largest physical feature.

When Heezen published their collaborative findings in 1956, it was a groundbreaking moment in geology. However, like many women scientists of her era, Tharp’s contributions were largely overshadowed.

Florence Parpart Layman

Born in January 1873, Florence Parpart was employed as a stenographer for the Eastern Sanitary Street Cleaning Company in New Jersey during the early 1900s. Her first credited invention was a street sweeper designed to automate the cleaning of city streets. She filed two patents for this invention in 1899 and 1901, listing Hiram D. Layman as a co-inventor, despite him being merely an investor.

After marrying Layman, who was the company’s general manager, he continued to appear first on her patents, even though it is recognized that Parpart was the true inventor. This practice was common during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as women inventors often added a male co-inventor to facilitate investment and commercial opportunities while combating societal biases.

In 1914, Florence Parpart Layman invented and patented the first electric refrigerator, successfully marketing it to American companies. It appears that her husband supported her work, attaching his name to the patents to ensure wider acceptance.

Each of these women has significantly contributed to our understanding of the world or created inventions integral to our daily lives. It's unfortunate that their contributions are not more widely recognized, and their discoveries often obscured or improperly credited. Learning about these remarkable women in history and their scientific achievements has been enlightening, and it is hoped that they will eventually receive the acknowledgment they rightfully deserve.

Stay tuned for more on Impressive Women of History: Additional Scientists and Inventors, as well as Politicians and Social Reformers.

© Copyright Elle Beau 2023