Haley MacMillan

Mary Anderson was a women that fought for something that she thought was important. While on her visit to New York City she was hassled with the drivers constantly stopping to clear off the rain, ice, and snow from the cars windshield. It was a common thing in the 1900’s to do this frequently while driving. She got so frustrated with it she went home and drew out a sketch of her idea. Most people will come up with these elaborate ideas but will never do anything past a sketch or even past a thought. She however continued to develop her plan of a swinging arm with a rubber blade attached to it that would be sprung back and fourth across the windshield by using a lever from inside the car. She developed this idea in 1903. She battled with her peers for several years later as many of the other people of this time thought it was a waste and would end up distracting the driver too much. They just continued to laugh at her for this idea until 1913 when it was common to have your own personal car and it was standard equipment to have this windshield wiper attached to it.

Mary Anderson was born in 1866 in Green County, Alabama. She later passed away in Monteagle, Tennessee in 1953. Growing up she lived with her widowed mother and sister in Alabama. She built the Fairmont Apartments on Highland Avenue soon after moving to Birmingham, Alabama in 1889. Later in her life (1893) she found herself in Fresno, California running a vineyard and cattle ranch. She ended up back in Alabama running the Fairmont Apartments until she passed away.