Women’s History Month – Women in the World of Cars

Here at America On Wheels we would like to pay tribute to the exceptional women who’ve paved the way for women in all facets of the auto industry in honor of Women’s History Month.

1903 – Mary Anderson invented the first device to improve the safety of early automobiles by creating a device to clear windshields of snow, sleet and rain. The first windshield wipers! Imagine driving without them?

1909 – Twenty-Two year old Alice Ramsey is the first woman to successfully drive across the United States

1910-1920 - Women’s suffrage movement uses automobiles to organize nationwide tours to gain support

1917 – Charlotte Bridgewood improved on Anderson’s invention by developing electric windshield wipers

1930s – Helena Bartlett invented spark plugs

1950s – Denise McCluggage becomes one of the most famed races of her era

1976 - Janet Guthrie is the first woman to compete in a NASCAR Winston Cup Superspeedway Race. She went on to be the first woman to comepete in both the Indianapolis 500 and Daytona 500

1989 – Courtney Caldwell starts the first automobile publication targeted towards women titled American Woman Road and Travel which aimed to provide resources and information for women auto buyers

2005 – Danica Patrick wins Rookie of the Year at the Indianapolis 500 and the IndyCar 500 Series

2008 – Danica Patrick becomes the first woman to win an Indy car race with her win in the Indy Japan 300

There have been numerous women who have impacted the great world of automobiles throughout history and though they have not always been given the credit they deserve, we are celebrating these and many other women here this month.