After becoming frustrated with sleet building up on the windshield of a trolley car, Mary Anderson put her creativity to work to create the first windshield wiper. She never profited from her invention, but her basic windshield wiper design is still commonly used across the world today.
An Entrepreneur
Anderson was born on Burton Hill Plantation in Greene County, Alabama on Feb. 19, 1866. Her father passed away when she was only 4, but her mother, sister, and she were able to live off the proceeds from his estate. The family moved to Birmingham in 1889. Anderson became a real estate developer and built the Fairmont Apartment building in town.In 1893, Anderson left her family in Alabama to move to Fresno, California. While in Fresno, she expanded her entrepreneurial skill set and operated a cattle ranch and vineyard. After hearing that her aunt was ill, Anderson moved back home in 1900 to help her family.
