"I was famous for my kites; and my sleds were the envy... of all the boys in town."
Margaret Knight
Margaret Knight(1838-1914) was one of the first American women to be awarded a patent. She was a prolific inventor from the age of twelve, when an accident in a textile mill prompted her to design a safety feature to protect workers from the looms. The flat-bottomed paper bag, however, is her most widely remembered invention, as it endures to this day.
Knight was working in a paper-bag factory after the American Civil War when she saw the need for a different kind of bag. The factory produced flat bags, more like envelopes, which were unsuitable for bulky items. Square, flat-bottomed bags could be made, but only by hand. Although she had little education, Knight—after studying the factory machinery—built a working wooden prototype of a machine at home. Understanding that she would need an iron model for wider use and for a patent application, she sent her design to a machine shop. While it was there, Charles Annan, an employee of the shop, stole her design and filed for a patent. He was initially granted it, but the decision was overturned in court, and Knight was awarded her patent in 1873.
Initially Knight's invention was dismissed by her male colleagues because she was a woman, but then it quickly received attention from around the world. In 1871 she was awarded the Decoration of the Royal Legion of Honour from Queen Victoria. She cofounded the Eastern Paper Bag Company in 1870, and the bags were used almost universally. Knight continued inventing, gaining twenty-seven patents in total, including a barbecue spit, window sash and frame, and a numbering device.
