Those Brilliant Forgotten Women

Women scientists were part of life-changing discoveries but they were sidelined by male colleagues in awards and patents

- Latha Jishnu

BEHIND MANY famous inventions or patents is a woman. Often, she is barely identified with the breakthrough that earns her male colleagues fame and fortune despite her substantial role in it, if not critical. Think of Rosalind Franklin or Lise Meitner. They were women, who made great discoveries that changed the world, and yet their names were kept out deliberately by male scientists, who took the credit and glory.

This year the annual World Intellectual Property (IP) Day, observed on April 26, was dedicated to women. At the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), there were several exhibitions showcasing innovations by women. There was a screening of Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story, a 2017 documentary celebrating the Austrian-born actress, who took Hollywood by storm in the 1940s. Lamarr created a radio system that is considered the basis of WiFi and Bluetooth.