Mary Anderson's Window-Clearing Idea

A Helpful Idea for Rainy Roads

Mary Anderson was an American inventor who noticed a problem during a trip to New York City in 1902. Snow covered the front window of a streetcar. The driver had to stop often and use a hand to clear the window. Anderson thought of a safer, easier way to clear it. She sketched a device with a rubber blade on the outside and a handle inside. A driver could move the handle without leaning out.

In 1903, Anderson received a patent for her windshield-cleaning device. A patent is a record that describes an invention and gives its inventor legal protection for a time. Her device was not made for sale, and it did not become common. Later inventors and vehicle makers developed powered wipers for cars and other vehicles.

Many cars, buses, and trucks now have rubber blades that move across the windshield when a motor turns them on. The modern tool is different from Anderson's hand-operated device, but it works on the same problem: helping a driver see through rain or snow. Anderson's idea is remembered because it offered an early solution that helped lead to a useful tool used on many vehicles today.