What is your first thought when you get behind the wheel and after a while you realize that the windshield is not clean enough? Like most people, this is probably very irritating for you. In this situation, windshield wipers are an invaluable element of our car equipment. And how were they created? Today, they are standard equipment without which we cannot imagine driving, but they were created much later than the cars themselves, and their history sounds like material for an engaging film about women, music and a million-dollar business.
The credit for inventing windshield wipers is attributed to Americans, and the beginning of this story dates back to the winter of 1902, when Mary Anderson decided to go to New York, using money inherited from her aunt. Not having her own vehicle, she explored the city by tram. It was then that her patience was put to a great test. However, this was not due to the need to use public transport. The only irritating moment was when the driver let the cold inside by opening the window to wipe the snow-covered glass with his hand.
Mary Anderson (1866 - 1953) - American businesswoman, inventor, creator of car wipers ( source: Wikipedia )Then she came up with the idea of placing a wooden strip with rubber above the windshield, which would be set in motion by a lever located in the driver's cabin. After several failed attempts, she finally completed the design of the mechanism and named it the "window cleaning device".
What happened next? In 1920, the patent granted to Mary Anderson expired, and after only two years Cadillac, as the first manufacturer in the world, began serial assembly of windshield wipers.
in their vehicles . Soon other companies followed suit. It turned out that the idea had " commercial value ", although Anderson herself did not benefit from it.
On November 10, 1903, she received a letter from the patent office confirming that she had been granted rights to the invention. Perhaps surprisingly for today's drivers, none of the companies approached were interested in production, stating that " this invention does not present sufficient commercial value to justify engaging in its sale ."
At this stage, it is worth adding that her idea, although initially rejected, became a milestone in the history of the automotive industry. This example proves that sometimes even the most inconspicuous ideas can change the face of an industry. Thanks to Mary Anderson, car wipers have become an essential element, improving visibility on the road for millions of drivers around the world. This is a perfect example of how one person and their creativity can impact our everyday lives.
In the interwar period, when car production was dynamically increasing, operating windshield wipers still required manual control by manipulating a lever located in the cockpit. Nevertheless, they became a very desirable piece of equipment, which prompted many people to try to create their own mechanism. The press reported that windshield wipers were the element that amateur inventors most often improved on their own.
However, there is a Polish accent in this story - the character of Józef Hofmann. It's surprising, but the Polish pianist, who came to the USA when he was only 11 years old, played as many as 52 piano concertos in ten weeks. The audience was delighted, and journalists called him " The New Mozart ". Unfortunately, the tour was interrupted due to protests from people opposed to child abuse.
After all this, Hofmann was financially supported by a philanthropist who provided him with a scholarship. Thanks to this, the young pianist had the means not only to develop his musical skills, but also to study science. This naturally led him to the world of invention. Hofmann was the owner of many patents, including: for an electric clock, a motor boat, spring bumpers and pneumatic shock absorbers.
Importantly, in the context of the topic discussed in the title, Hofmann also developed a mechanism for self-propelled wipers . He drew inspiration from the swinging motion of a tactometer. This invention gained the recognition of decision-makers at Ford, who decided to finance the installation of this solution in the musician's private car - Ford T.
Self-acting car wipers have their origins in music. Unfortunately, although they were a revolutionary invention, they had a certain drawback that prompted Robert Kearns to take intensive action. We are talking about their monotonous, constant movement - they could only be turned on or off.
But did it really have to be this way? After all, our natural "wipers", i.e. eyelids, do not work all the time, although they fulfill their function effectively. This observation effectively inspired Kearns to develop a mechanism that activated the wipers every few seconds. In 1964, he submitted his invention to the patent office, and then approached Ford - the first manufacturer that came to his mind. No wonder, considering that he privately drove a car of this brand.
The engineers were extremely impressed, but Ford ultimately decided not to purchase the patent. The story of Kearns' invention could actually end here, but in 1976 he was surprised to discover that an American brand was illegally using his solution. It also turned out that other manufacturers also use his mechanism
in their vehicles without his consent.
Robert Kearns then took legal action, filing lawsuits against 27 car manufacturers for patent theft. He demanded huge compensation - for example, he demanded $325 million from Chrysler and as much as $395 million from Ford. He devoted the rest of his life to fighting for his rights, and many years of court battles unfortunately brought him other problems - divorce and health problems, which ended with treatment in a psychiatric hospital.
Despite the difficulties, Kearns achieved his goal, and as part of the signed settlement, Ford agreed to pay him $10.1 million. The fight for the funds due to him lasted until 1995, when Chrysler finally gave in and paid the inventor $30 million in compensation. Unfortunately, he did not have time to enjoy the recovered fortune - he died 10 years later.
As you can see, ordinary windshield wipers hide so many amazing human fates behind them. They were created thanks to the creative vision of several people whose motives for action were very different, but they had a definitely common goal. Today, thanks to them, we can see better and more, especially in unfavorable weather conditions, and therefore travel safer on the roads.
