Beatrice Kenner and Midred Smith: Sister Inventors

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Beatrice Kenner and Mildred Smith: Sister Inventors"

Title: Stuff You Missed in History Class
Hosts: Holly Fry and Tracy V. Wilson
Episode: Beatrice Kenner and Mildred Smith: Sister Inventors
Release Date: July 30, 2025
Producer: iHeartPodcasts

---

Introduction to the Sisters' Legacy

In this captivating episode of Stuff You Missed in History Class, hosts Holly Fry and Tracy V. Wilson delve into the inspiring lives of Beatrice Davidson Kenner and Mildred Ethel Davidson Austin Smith—two extraordinary sisters whose inventive spirits left an indelible mark on history. The episode explores their personal journeys, the innovations they developed, and the societal challenges they overcame as African American women in a predominantly white and male-dominated era.

Family Roots and Early Influences

The story begins with the sisters' family background, highlighting the inventive legacy passed down from their grandfather, Robert Pink Fronebarger, and their father, Sidney Nathaniel Davidson.

"Their maternal grandfather Robert Pink Fronebarger worked for a railroad company in nineteen fifteen. He and William Floyd Byram were issued US Patent 1134871 for a current supply system for electrical railways." ([05:17])

Sidney, a Baptist minister and entrepreneur, was also an inventor who patented devices related to his businesses, including a versatile clothes presser and a body lifter for mortuary use.

"The object of this invention resides in the provision of a trousers creasing device..." ([06:12])

These familial influences fostered an environment where ingenuity and problem-solving were encouraged, setting the stage for Beatrice and Mildred's future inventions.

Childhood and Education in Charlotte and Washington, D.C.

Beatrice Davidson was born on May 17, 1912, in Monroe, North Carolina, while Mildred Ethel Davidson was born on January 30, 1916, in Charlotte. The sisters, along with their brothers Perry and Leighton, faced racial segregation early on, attending private schools due to the lack of public institutions willing to educate Black children.

"The family lived in a predominantly white part of town, and when the children reached six school age, they had to go to private school because there wasn't a public school in the neighborhood that would accept black children." ([08:58])

A pivotal moment in Beatrice's early life occurred when she was seriously burned at age five, an event that not only left physical scars but also fueled her determination to innovate and improve lives.

"Beatrice recovered but she had scars around her lips and chin, which she was teased and bullied over... this is another reason why it seems like those photos are probably misattributed." ([10:21])

At twelve, the family moved to Washington, D.C., providing the sisters with enhanced educational opportunities, including attendance at the prestigious Paul Laurence Dunbar High School.

Early Inventions and Patents

From a young age, Beatrice exhibited a knack for inventing, crafting solutions to everyday problems. Her childhood ideas included a self-oiling door hinge and an umbrella with a sponge tip to manage water drainage.

"She worked on the idea until her hands hurt but she never quite nailed it..." ([10:52])

Beatrice's first successful patent came in 1956 for a Sanitary Belt—a significant advancement in menstrual protection.

"Sanitary belt, extremely simple in construction, easy to use, adjustable for various sized persons, well adapted for its intended purpose, and very inexpensive to manufacture." ([27:56])

Despite the quality and innovation of her designs, systemic racism posed significant barriers. Companies showed little interest in her inventions once they realized she was Black, leading to limited commercial success and eventual patent expirations in the 1970s.

Mildred's Journey: From Music to Invention

Mildred pursued a passion for music, performing with her siblings and later studying at Howard University's School of Music. Her career was interrupted by multiple sclerosis (MS), diagnosed in 1964, which spurred her inventive spirit in a different direction.

"Mildred became a spokesperson for people with MS, holding educational lectures and providing one-on-one outreach to other patients and their families." ([36:21])

Her experience with MS and the challenges of managing a large family inspired her to create Family Traditions, a board game designed to help individuals understand and map familial relationships.

"Family Traditions involved a set of playing cards labeled and illustrated with family members or relationships... players got points for each relationship they created." ([40:50])

Professional Endeavors and Later Inventions

Both sisters balanced their inventive pursuits with entrepreneurial ventures. Beatrice ran a successful flower shop chain in the Washington, D.C. area, while Mildred continued her involvement in music and community service, eventually becoming a choir director.

Beatrice continued to innovate into her later years, securing patents for devices such as a Shower Wall and Bathtub Mounted Back Washer (Patent #4696068) in 1987 and a Bathroom Tissue Holder (Patent #4354643) in 1982.

"A pad of foam covered in terry cloth mounted to a rigid plate that could be stuck to the shower wall with suction cups..." ([41:21])

Her dedication to practical solutions extended beyond personal use, as evidenced by her advocacy for better emergency response infrastructure after a delayed ambulance experience prompted her to propose the creation of emergency lanes near Busch Gardens.

Challenges and Triumphs in a Segregated Society

The sisters' paths were fraught with challenges, from racial discrimination in professional settings to the personal struggles of health issues and societal expectations.

"Their grandfather, a Black inventor, faced systemic racism that prevented him from defending his inventions." ([05:17])

Despite these obstacles, both Beatrice and Mildred demonstrated remarkable resilience and ingenuity, leaving behind a legacy of creativity and determination that continues to inspire.

Conclusion: Celebrating a Sisterly Legacy

Tracy and Holly conclude the episode by emphasizing the sisters' contributions and the importance of recognizing African American inventors who have historically been overlooked.

"It is clear though that Mildred and Beatrice were both creative, innovative women who were very savvy about protecting their inventions through patents, trademarks, and copyright." ([46:13])

Their story is a testament to the power of perseverance and the impact of supportive familial ties in overcoming societal barriers. The episode serves as a reminder to celebrate and honor the unsung heroes of history who have shaped our lives in meaningful ways.

---

Notable Quotes:

• "Their maternal grandfather Robert Pink Fronebarger worked for a railroad company in nineteen fifteen..." — Tracy V. Wilson ([05:17])

• "Sanitary belt, extremely simple in construction, easy to use, adjustable for various sized persons..." — Tracy V. Wilson ([27:56])

• "Family Traditions involved a set of playing cards labeled and illustrated with family members or relationships..." — Tracy V. Wilson ([40:50])

• "It is clear though that Mildred and Beatrice were both creative, innovative women who were very savvy about protecting their inventions..." — Tracy V. Wilson ([46:13])

---

This episode not only sheds light on the remarkable achievements of Beatrice Kenner and Mildred Smith but also underscores the broader narrative of African American innovation and the persistent challenges faced by Black inventors. Through detailed storytelling and insightful analysis, Holly and Tracy celebrate the ingenuity and resilience of these sister inventors, ensuring their stories resonate with listeners for years to come.

Transcript

[Tracy V. Wilson]

This is an iheart podcast.

[Holly Fry]

There'S nothing like sinking into luxury at washablesofas dot com you'll find the annabe sofa which combines ultimate comfort and design at an affordable price and get this it's the only sofa that's fully machine washable from top to bottom starting at only dollar six hundred ninety nine the stain resistant performance fabric slipcovers and and cloud like frame duvet can go straight into your wash perfect for anyone with kids pets or anyone who loves an easy to clean spotless sofa with a modular design and changeable slipcovers you can customize your sofa to fit any space and style whether you need a single chair loveseat or a luxuriously large sectional annabe has you covered visit washablesofas dot com to upgrade your home right now you can shop up to sixty percent off store wide with a thirty day money back guarantee shop now at washablesofas dot com add a little to your life offers are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply in the heat of battle.

[Unknown]

Your squad relies on you don't let them down unlock elite gaming tech at lenovo dot com comma dominate every match with next level speed seamless streaming and performance that won't quit and push your gameplay beyond limits with intel core ultra processors that's the power of lenovo with intel inside maximize your edge by shopping at lenovo dot com during their back to school sale that's lenovo dot com.

[Holly Fry]

Lenovo lenovo.

[Unknown]

A new era of power has arrived with the alienware area fifty one gaming laptops intentionally engineered to push more power to the cpu and gpu for maximum performance this otherworldly power paired with the game changing capabilities of nvidia geforce rtx fifty series gpu's with dlss four ensures ultra smooth stunning gameplay so no matter what you're playing alienware ensures every game runs precisely as its developers intended discover area fifty one at alienware.

Dot com divorce can leave you feeling isolated like you're stuck on an island with no direction but you don't have to go through it alone at hello divorce we guide you step by step offering everything from legal advice to financial planning so you can find your way back to solid ground for ninety percent less start your divorce journey with the support you need at hellodivorce dot com and schedule a free consultation.

Welcome to stuff you missed in history class a production of iheartradio.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Hello and welcome to the podcast i'm tracy v wilson and i'm holly fry holly you've been on kind of an inventor kick lately i have and i'm joining you now welcome welcome to inventor land today's episode is actually on two sisters mary beatrice davidson kenner and mildred ethel davidson austin smith beatrice's adventions were focused largely on making life easier and less annoying for herself and the people around her including inventions related to something i personally find pretty annoying which is our periods mildred's invention was more about family and that invention grew from her disability after she developed multiple sclerosis this is one of those subjects where there are just little bits of misinformation and inaccuracies that have become incredibly widespread and are now kind of taken as fact because different writers have all been sourcing the same work and also sourcing each other so i've tried to sort out as much of that as possible but there are definitely still some gaps also there is a photo that is purportedly of beatrice as a young woman that is just all over the place including as of when we recorded this things like the wikipedia article about her i'm ninety nine percent sure that photo is really of mildred there's not really as much recent writing about mildred but the photo that is sometime used for her is again i'm like ninety ninety nine percent sure that's really of beatrice and the reason that i think this is that there are also some publicly available photos of each of them from later on in their lives like one of beatrice that was included alongside an obituary and one of mildred that was in a nineteen eighty two article about her that photo of the older mildred looks more like the photo that's usually used on articles about beatrice the photo of older beatrice looks more like the one that is sometimes used for mildred i also found a photo in newspaper coverage of mildred's career as a singer in the thirties that very strongly resembles that photo that's usually used for beatric today that's just a thing to be aware of if you go google these women and see the photos that are being used i will talk.

[Unknown]

About the odd giggle this whole thing gave me in behind the scenes on friday okay mildred and beatric came family of inventors their maternal grandfather robert pink fronebarger worked for a railroad company in nineteen fifteen he and william floyd byram were issued us patent one one three four eight seven one for a current supply system for electrical railways according to interviews that beatrice and mildred gave later on in their lives their grandfather also invented a tri color signaling system for trains but he didn't get the patent on that one fronebarger was black and he demonstrated his invention to some white railroad men before he had applied for a patent on it they stole that design from him and because of the entrenched systems of racism that he was living and working in there really wasn't anything he could do about it mildred.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

And beatrice's father sidney nathaniel davidson was a baptist minister and several of his brothers were ministers as well sidney had a clothes pressing business and also owned a funeral home and he invented things that were related to both of those professions in nineteen fourteen he was awarded a patent on a clothes presser that could fit in a person's luggage as described in us patent one zero eight eight three two nine quote the object of this invention resides in the provision of a trousers creasing device wherein trousers may be disposed in a flattened position to be pressed and creased this device had multiple hinged leaves with rounded ends so that the parts of the pants that were supposed to be creased stayed creased but the presser did not make unwanted creases where the legs of the pants needed to be folded to fit.

[Unknown]

In the luggage beatrice and mildred later gave interviews in which they talked about what happened with this invention apparently a company in new york was interested in bringing it to market but possibly influenced by his father in law's experience sidney tried to put it into production himself with the help of one of his brothers according to beatrice he and a brother only managed to make one presser which they sold for dollar fourteen according to mildred sydney wanted to develop it with his brothers but he couldn't get their interest and ultimately he sold the rights to the design for much less than she thought it was worth later.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

On sidney davidson was also issued u s patent two six zero seven one zero three on what he called a body lifter this was meant for mortuary staff to use to move people's bodies and it could also serve as a mortuary table it was designed to be easy to slip under a person's body and it could be used like a stretcher to carry living people who for whatever reason couldn't be moved with some other type of stretcher he also designed a long handled brush that could dispense water that was to be used for washing trains although i wasn't able to find a patent for that one mary.

[Unknown]

Beatrice davidson was born in monroe north carolina on may seventeenth nineteen twelve her name appears in multiple ways in newspapers and other written documents from her lifetime sometimes as mary beatrice sometimes m beatrice and sometimes just beatrice later on in her life people called her aunt bee monroe is considered part of the charlotte metropolitan area today and mildred ethel davidson was born in charlotte on january thirty.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

First nineteen sixteen beatrice and mildred also had two brothers perry who was the oldest and leighton who was born between beatrice and mildred the family lived in a predominantly white part of town and when the children reached six school age they had to go to private school because there wasn't a public school in the neighborhood that would accept black children.

[Unknown]

When beatrice was five and mildred was an infant beatrice was seriously burned perry and a cousin had been told that if they raked leaves santa claus would be good to them and beatrice thought that if she helped he might be good to her as well the boys had raked the leaves into two piles and she decided to combine them not realizing that they had just set fire to one of those piles she grabbed an armful of leaves from that pile and by the time she realized they were burning some of them were sticking.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

To her clothing beatrice's burns were mainly around her mouth and chin and the doctors who came to see her did not expect her to live because of the smoke and flame that she had inhaled at the time the only hospital in the charlotte area that accepted black patients didn't have a lot of experience treating burns so her mother nellie and her paternal grandmother who worked as both a midwife and a veterinarian cared for her around the clock themselves for weeks.

[Unknown]

Beatrice recovered but she had scars around her lips and chin which she was teased and bullied over even adults told her that she would never amount to anything because of the scars on her face this is another reason why it seems like those photos are probably misattributed there is no suggestion of a scar in the photo that is usually used to beatrice described herself as becoming more and more determined to make something of herself every time someone said something like.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

This to her yeah the photo that's usually used for beatrice is like a really pretty clear straightforward view of her face and the ones that i think really are of beatrice are more like low resolution scans of things that ran in newspapers and so the photos are not as clear as the one that's typically used for beatrice that i think is really of her sister beatrice also described herself as mechanically minded the first time she tried to invent something she was six years old one of their doors had a squeaky hinge and after somebody oiled it it would not take very long for it to start squeaking again she told her mother that there should be a self oiling door hinge and she had an idea for how to do this she worked on that idea until her hands hurt but she never quite nailed it another idea she had as a kid was a convertible roof that could be used to protect the people who were riding on the rumble seat of a car and she designed a sponge tip for the end of an umbrella so that when you closed the umbrella and left it upside down after you'd used it the water would collect in that sponge rather than pooling on the floor i think that's.

[Unknown]

So ingenious in nineteen twenty four when beatrice was twelve and mildred was eight the family moved to washington dc their mother nellie had a sister who lived there and had fallen in love with the city while visiting this opened up some new educational opportunities for the children paul lawrence dunbar high school was the first public high school for black students in the united states and it had developed a reputation for for academic excellence.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Washington dc in the nineteen twenties was also a much bigger city than charlotte and that brought some other opportunities for the siblings while their father was an inventor their mother loved art and music and in the early nineteen thirties perry beatrice and mildred formed a musical trio sometimes it was called spade flush and sometimes perry and his sisters they started performing publicly and on the radio and they got some interest to get a music deal but mildred was still a minor and she would have needed their father's permission to sign any kind of contract sidney would not give that permission because he was concerned about what it would look like for a minister to allow his children to perform in public even though two of the children were effectively adults by that point he also did not think that the jazz music they were singing was appropriate while sidney.

[Unknown]

Had owned multiple businesses in charlotte after the family moved to washington dc he had trouble finding work according to an interview that beatrice gave in the nineteen nineties he left washington to conduct their oldest brother's funeral and he didn't come back but for a while afterward he did send money from time to time but that doesn't seem correct the youngest of the davidson siblings leighton died in nineteen twenty six at the age of eleven after an accidental injury and he was buried back in charlotte but perry lived until nineteen fifty six when his sisters were in their forties and his funeral was held in washington dc when sidney died he was also living in dc and according to his death notice he was minister at washington dc's guildfield baptist church so it's possible that beatrice misspoke during this interview or that the interviewer misunderstood her or that there's just some other explanation for this confusion beatrice.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

And mildred both graduated from dunbar high school and as they became adults their lives started to diverge a little bit and we will take a quick sponsor break and after we get back we will focus more on beatrice for a little bit.

[Unknown]

In the heat of battle your squad relies on you don't let them down unlock elite gaming tech at lenovo dot com dominate every match with next level speed set seamless streaming and performance that won't quit and push your gameplay beyond limits with intel core ultra processors that's the power of lenovo with intel inside maximize your edge by shopping at lenovo dot com during their back to school sale that's lenovo dot com.

[Holly Fry]

Lenovo lenovo there's nothing like sinking into luxury at washablesofas dot com comma you'll find the annabe sofa which combines ultimate comfort and design at an affordable price and get this it's the only sofa that's fully machine washable from top to bottom starting at only six hundred ninety nine dollars the stain resistant performance fabric slipcovers and cloud like frame duvet can go straight into your wash perfect for anyone with kids pets or anyone who loves an easy to clean spotless sofa with a modular design and changeable slipcovers you can customize your sofa to fit any space and style whether you need a single chair loveseat or a luxuriously large sectional annabe has you covered visit washablesofas dot com to upgrade your home right now you can shop up to sixty percent off store wide with a thirty day money back guarantee shop now at washablesofas dot com add a little to your life offers are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

A.

[Unknown]

New era of power has arrived with the alienware area fifty one gaming laptops intentionally engineered to push more power to the cpu and gpu for maximum performance this otherworldly power paired with the game changing capabilities of nvidia geforce rtx fifty series gpu's with dlss four amplifies performance and image precision for ultra smooth stunning gameplay and with the new cryo chamber design airflow is focused exactly where it's needed most fused with alienware's enhanced thermal solutions it creates a higher power output without raising noise levels allowing you to play with confidence even during the most demanding marathon gaming sessions so no matter what you're playing alienware ensures every game runs precisely as its developers intended a new era of power is here all you have to do is take it discover area fifty one today at alienware dot com.

[Holly Fry]

Divorce can leave you feeling isolated like you're stuck on an island with no direction but you don't have to go through it alone at hello divorce we guide you step by step offering everything from legal advice to financial planning so you can find your way back to solid ground for ninety percent less start your divorce journey with the support you need at hellodivorce dot com and schedule a free consultation.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

We said earlier that beatrice davidson started thinking of inventions when she was still a child after the family moved to washington dc she started visiting the us patent and trademark office and learning how that process works worked and researching whether other people had already patented any of her ideas she also volunteered at a hospital and she wanted to train to become a nurse she said that she planned to go to the tuskegee institute and that her father had said that he would pay for her to go but that money never materialized it is very possible that this was just because of what was going on in the world when beatrice would have been ready to go to nursing school she graduated from dunbar in nineteen thirty one so that was during the great depression beatrice kept trying.

[Unknown]

To invent things and she took on various jobs to try to earn enough money to cover the cost of patenting them she also liked to cook and play the piano and she really liked to go out and see plays and other performances eventually she got a job with the federal government various sources say she started at the census bureau in nineteen forty one and later moved on to the general accounting office now known as the government accountability office this is the independent nonpartisan agency sometimes known as the investigative arm of congress which has existed to do things like audit government agencies investigate allegations of fraud and waste and provide reports on government efficiency since nineteen twenty one for more than one hundred years the gao has done this through actual accounting audit and investigatory procedures not by feeding things into a large language model and using its output to decide what to cut and who to.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Fire several articles about beatrice say that during world war two in addition to volunteering as a nurse with the red cross she worked as a dance chaperone although she was unmarried at this point she would have been in her thirties a couple of sources say that she met a soldier at one of these dances fell in love with him and got married with that marriage ending in a divorce five years later i could not find confirmation of this marriage or who it was to and beatrice does not mention it in the interviews that i had access to but her sister mildred did get married in nineteen thirty eight and mildred's husband did serve in world war two and that marriage did end in divorce so it is not fully clear to me whether this is just another point of confusion between the two sisters or if beatrice had a marriage in the forties that she just did not want to talk about later.

[Unknown]

We do know that beatrice married james kenner known as jabo in nineteen fifty one jabo was one of the founders of the black police boys club a precursor to the metropolitan police boys and girls club he had also been a professional boxer with a promising career including winning the middle atlantic coast black heavyweight championship his boxing style is where the name jabo came from but his boxing career had been derailed when he contracted tuberculosis in nineteen forty three that was the same year that the antibiotic streptomycin was first isolated which was the first really effective treatment for tb we covered streptomycin's development on the show back in twenty thirteen jabo was treated at glendale tuberculosis sanitarium in glendale maryland and it took years for him to fully recover after that he focused on working with youth including becoming director of the boys and girls club a nineteen forty seven article on him describes him as a hero to the area's youngsters as a.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Little snapshot from their married life beatrice loved to find four leaf clovers out in their yard and there was one patch of grass that she would not let him cut so that she could hunt for clovers there when she found one she would make a wish on it and then she would press it in a book she and her husband worked together on youth programs and they eventually became foster parents and they adopted at least one son from foster care.

[Unknown]

Beatrice was awarded her first patent in nineteen fifty six that was us patent two seven four five four zero six sanitary belt this is something she had been working on and improving since she was a teenager and it is her most well known invention today so to talk about it we need to talk a little bit about the history of menstrual protection generally speaking in the very.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Very distant past it's likely that people's menstrual periods were lighter and that people had fewer of them because they were pregnant a lot more often and also didn't have the robust nutrition that most of us at least here in the us have today the first written references to some kind of menstrual protection are pretty recent relative to how long people have been having periods according to a number of sources it is the story of hypatia throwing one of her menstrual rags at a man who would not leave her alone we talk about that in our episode on her that ran as a saturday classic on january twentieth of twenty twenty four hypatia lived around the fourth century but this story about her throwing her rags at someone that first appeared in writing around the tenth century so there's some speculation that hundreds or maybe more like thousands of years ago people might have just bled into their clothes especially since in a lot of cultures it was and in some cases still is expected for people to isolate themselves and rest when they were menstruating at some point people started using.

[Unknown]

Some kind of absorbent material to try to contain the blood during their periods and historically there has been a lot of ingenuity and problem solving involved in dealing with menstrual bleeding the kinds of materials people have used have depended on where they lived and what was available there so rags moss wool paper cotton animal furs or skins and dried dung wrapped in cloth are among the many.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Options a lot of times writing about this is really focused on how some of these seem like they wouldn't work very well but like people were also figuring it out yeah people were solving problems and discovering solutions a lot of these are also still in use in various places around the world and in some cases homemade homegrown products work fine a lot of them are definitely more sustainable than most of today's mass produced tampons and pads which can create a lot of plastic waste but for a lot of people options like rags or moss or animal dung just aren't very comfortable or effective combined with stigma around menstruation and a lack of access to reliable menstrual products and to bathrooms and to clean water all that together is a source of systemic sex based disadvantage known as period poverty this includes kids in some parts of the world missing school during their periods or dropping out of school entirely after they start menstruating.

[Unknown]

And that brings us back to beatrice kenner's invention by the nineteenth century people in europe and north america were mostly using some kind of pad made of flannel or woven cloth often homemade which was meant to be washed and reused then in the late nineteenth century companies started making and selling disposable pads one of the first was released by johnson and johnson in eighteen eighty seven and it was called lister's towels sanitary napkins for ladies joseph lister did not have anything to do with this his name was just associated with hygiene this pad had loops at each end that could be threaded through a belt to hold it in place even with the lister name though these did not sell very well and that's attributed to how much stigma there was about menstruation and people's reluctance to buy something that was obviously for use during their periods for decades.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

After this commercially made pads followed this same basic model there was something absorbent that would be attached to a belt with loops or clips or buttons or hooks that absorbent material improved during world war one alongside wound dressings that were being used on the battlefield some sources attribute part of this evolution to nurses using these dressings as pads a big innovation during this time was cellucotton which was a cottony material made from cellulose so the shift to disposable commercially made pads around the turn of the twentieth century was simultaneously driven by the hygiene movement industrialization and warfare while these pads.

[Unknown]

Were usually more absorbent than layers of flannel or another cloth they were still a lot bulkier than most of today's commercial pads and the belts had a number of issues many of them were similarly bulky and just uncomfortable to wear some of them were sold by size and they weren't really adjustable so they could become too big or too small if somebody's weight fluctuated during their period which is absolutely normal in the case for a lot of people a lot of designs also didn't really work well if someone was moving around a lot the pad was sort of suspended in the same place all the time regardless of whether someone was standing or sitting or bending over so when a person moved and the pad didn't it might not be in the right place to absorb the blood anymore and it could also just bunch up uncomfortably under a.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Person'S clothing beatrice's invention addressed a lot of these issues it was in the words of her patent quote extremely simple in construction easy to use adjustable for various sized persons well adapted for its intended purpose and very inexpensive to manufacture it was so compact and so inexpensive that it could be included along with the pad in the dispensers in public places in addition to being adjustable it included adhesive portions for attaching the pad and it was designed so that the pad could slide back and forth so it held the pad snugly against the body and as the wearer moved around the pad would slide along the middle part of the belt and move with them so it's stayed in the right.

[Unknown]

Place according to beatrice's interviews there was a company interested in bringing this sanitary belt to market various articles say it was the son nap pack company that first part is spelled s o n n but this is probably a misspelling it's a name that only seems to exist in articles about beatrice kenner on the other hand san nap pack spelled s a n and later called doe skin products was a real company that made things like facial tissue and cellulose sanitary napkins in beatrice's account someone from the company came to meet with her and was obviously startled when they realized she was black and at that point they immediately lost interest in nineteen sixty.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Nine beatrice was awarded us patent two eight eight one seven six one for an improvement on this design it still featured an adjustable waist belt and attachments that allowed the pad to move around with the wearer the improvement was the attachment for the pad this time it was a moisture proof pocket to help.

[Unknown]

Prevent leaks neither of beatrice kenner's sanitary belt designs was ever brought to market and her patents expired in nineteen seventy three and nineteen seventy six a number of sources kind of make it sound like manufacturers just jumped on her design once her patents had expired but that's not really the case by the nineteen seventies manufacturers were moving away from sanitary belts thanks to the development of adhesives that could keep a pad attached to a person's underwear without damaging that underwear when the pad was removed the first adhesive pads were introduced in nineteen sixty nine and kenner's first patent did involve an adhesive but the adhesive itself was not described in that patent by the.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Time her patents expired there were also other modern commercially made options for menstrual protection including tampons and menstrual cups both of these had already existed in some form before that but they were introduced as manufactured consumer products in the nineteen thirties tampons took a while to catch on because of concerns about safety and hygiene and stigma and misconceptions around the concept of virginity but by the seventies tampons were widely available and they had become a lot more popular menstrual cups also didn't really catch on immediately but they have had a resurgence in more.

[Unknown]

Recent years beatrice kenner's next patent has a connection to her sister so we're going to take another sponsor break and then hop over to mildred's story for a bit.

In the heat of battle your squad relies on you don't let them down unlock elite gaming tech at lenovo dot com dominate every match with next level speed seamless streaming and performance that won't quit and push your gameplay beyond limits with intel core ultra processors that's the power of lenovo with intel inside maximize your edge by shopping at lenovo dot com during their back to school sale that's lenovo dot com lenovo.

[Holly Fry]

Lenovo let's be real life happens kids spill pets shed and accidents are inevitable find a sofa that can keep up at washablesofas dot com starting at just six hundred ninety nine dollars our sofas are fully machine washable inside and out so you can say goodbye to stains and hello to worry free living made with liquid and stain resistant fabrics they're kid proof pet friendly and built for everyday life plus changeable fabric covers let you refresh your sofa whenever you want neat flexibility our modular design lets you rearrange your sofa anytime to fit your space whether it's a growing family room or a cozy apartment plus they're earth friendly and trusted by over two hundred thousand happy customers it's time to upgrade to a stress free mess proof sofa visit washablesofas dot com today and save that's washablesofas dot com offers are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply.

[Unknown]

A new era of power has arrived with the alienware area fifty one gaming laptops intentionally engineered to push more power to the cpu and gpu for maximum performance this otherworldly power paired with the game changing capabilities of nvidia geforce rtx fifty series gpu's with dlss four amplifies performance and image precision for ultra smooth stunning gameplay and with the new cryo chamber design airflow is focused exactly where it's needed most fused with alienware's enhanced thermal solutions it creates a higher power output without raising noise levels allowing you to play with confidence even during the most demanding marathon gaming sessions so no matter what you're playing alienware ensures every game runs precisely as its developers intended new era of power is here all you have to do is take it discover area fifty one today at alienware dot com.

Divorce can leave you feeling isolated like you're stuck on an island with no direction but you don't have to go through it alone at hello divorce we guide you step by step offering everything from legal advice to financial advice planning so you can find your way back to solid ground for ninety percent less start your divorce journey with the support you need at hellodivorce dot com and schedule a free consultation.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Earlier we talked about how while still a teen mildred davidson had started performing as a singer with her siblings she described singing as being in her blood after she graduated from dunbar high school she wasn't really sure what she wanted to do with her life and she took a little time trying to figure it out after she decided to make music her career she enrolled at howard university school of music which is now part of howard's chadwick a boseman college of fine arts she studied there for about two and a half years and while she was still in college she also started touring as a singer as we.

[Unknown]

Mentioned earlier on january twenty ninth nineteen thirty eight just a couple of days before her twenty second birthday mildred got married to ralph edward austin and they had two sons ronald and ralph junior ralph senior was a minister and he seems to have had similar opinions about mildred's musical career to the ones that her father sidney had mildred was offered the chance to audition for the role of carmen in an all black staging of that opera but ralph objected to the idea of her playing that role basically describing carmen as having low morals so mildred didn't do it and that was something she expressed regret about later at some point mildred and ralph divorced and by the time her father died in nineteen fifty six she had married ray smith that marriage eventually ended in divorce as well mildred did keep singing.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Though in addition to her solo performances she performed with the national negro opera company she also sang in a number of church choirs and eventually became choir director at tabor presbyterian church in washington.

[Unknown]

Dc like her sister mildred was a federal employee also working at the general accounting office she left the gao in nineteen sixty one at the age of forty five because she was experiencing disabling physical symptoms that were affecting her ability to work and these symptoms also affected her musical career she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in nineteen sixty four mississippi.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Is believed to be an autoimmune disease it involves the body's immune system attacking the myelin sheath that protects the nerve fibers a person's exact symptoms depend on which nerves are affected so these symptoms can include things like numbness and tingling a lack of coordination blindness and other visual disturbances dizziness slurred speech and mood and cognitive changes most people with ms have a type known as relapsing remitting in which a person experiences cycles of symptom flare ups followed by periods of relative remission and this was the case.

[Unknown]

For mildred after her diagnosis mildred became a spokesperson for people with ms holding educational lectures for women's clubs and other groups about the disease she also worked with the outreach chapter of the national multiple sclerosis society which had been established as advancement of research on multiple sclerosis in nineteen forty six she also did one on one outreach to other people with ms and their families as mildred's.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Ms progressed she started using a walker for mobility and in nineteen seventy six her sister beatrice was awarded us patent three nine five seven zero seven one which was quote a carrier attachment including a rigid tray section and a pocket section is suspended by connecting straps from one side of the top frame the tray section can be swung to operative position above and supported by the top frame member this was both a pocket and a tray the background section of this patent notes that while walkers provided a stable supporting structure and valuable mobility assistance to people who use them their shape and their structure also limited a person's ability to hold and carry things that they might need so this device worked with a structural frame design that was really commonly used among most of the walkers of the era and it provided both a way to carry things and a flat surface to put things on when needed by this point in.

[Unknown]

Beatrice'S life she and jabo had moved to mclean virginia beatrice had left her job with the federal government after a series of experiences in which white people with less experience were promoted over her she had opened her own flower shop eventually operating five of them in and around the washington dc area this is something else that the sisters had in common mildred had also run her own flower shop and later in life ran the flower shop for her church shiloh baptist church which named her its woman of the year in nineteen eighty one.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Mildred started developing her invention around the same time that beatrice was patenting that locker carrier attachment during a particularly bad ms flare mildred wasn't able to leave her bed and she said that during that time she thought a lot about her family and how good they had been to her and also what a big family it was and how hard it could be to keep up with how everyone was related to everyone else this became the inspiration for a board game called family traditions family traditions involved.

[Unknown]

A set of playing cards each of them labeled and illustrated with a family member or a family relationship cards were shuffled and dealt to the players who used sets of three cards to fill in family relationships on a game board such as my mother son is my brother but also more distant relationships like third and fourth cousins players got points for each relationship they created on the board with different family members and relationships earning different numbers of points but they lost points for any cards left over in their hand at the end of the game mildred was awarded us patent four two three zero three two one on this game in october of nineteen eighty and she also trademarked the name and logo and registered the copyright on.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

The game rules mildred borrowed some money from beatrice so that she could publish this game herself selling out of the first printing of a hundred copies she followed this with another run of five hundred more copies of the game she also created a braille edition and in nineteen eighty two she told a reporter that her dream was for her game to become as big as monopoly and allow her to start a company of her own that she would staff with other disabled people on october nineteenth of.

[Unknown]

Nineteen eighty two beatrice was awarded u s patent four three five four six four three bathroom tissue holder this was a device that could attach to a person's existing toilet paper holder on the wall which would always keep the free end of the toilet paper available so you didn't have to spin the roll around hunting for it this looked a little like a short ladder with hooks at one end which could attach to the rod on the holder the free end of the toilet paper would then be threaded through the bottom two rungs.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Of the ladder on december thirteenth nineteen eighty three beatrice's husband jabo died after retiring as director of the boys and girls club he had continued to volunteer with young people in washington dc and in the other places where he and beatrice lived there are still youth leagues and facilities in the area named after.

[Unknown]

Him today in nineteen eighty four beatrice became ill and she needed an ambulance she was living in the kings hill area of williamsburg virginia where she and jabo had moved a few years before his death she was ultimately fine but it took a while for the ambulance to get to her because of traffic congestion around the nearby busch gardens theme park and this prompted her to write a letter to the newport news daily press proposing a solution that an emergency lane be built in the grassy median area of route sixty which ran past busch gardens she wrote that this would allow emergency vehicles to respond faster and also prevent lawsuits against the county in the amusement park if people died or lost their homes to a fire because emergency vehicles couldn't get through she ended her letter to the editor quote i am aware that this has been recognized as a problem area however recognition solves no problems and saves no lives in.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Nineteen eighty seven beatrice was issued another patent number four six nine six zero six eight shower wall and bathtub mounted back washer this was a pad of foam covered in terry cloth mounted to a rigid plate that could be stuck to the shower wall with suction cups it had a pouch for a bar of soap quote so that a person taking a shower or bath can position their back or any other inaccessible area of their body against the surface of the terry cloth or other fabric cover and by moving the body area engaged with the COVID provide a washing or massaging function on the surface area of the body the fabric elements of this invention were all removable so that they.

[Unknown]

Could be laundered it's not documented anywhere whether the backwasher and the toilet paper holder came about because beatrice was trying to make mildred's home more more accessible but it's certainly within the realm of possibility sometime after this last patent was awarded beatrice also finished writing an autobiography which she titled it burned my body but not my soul and to tracy's knowledge in mind this was never published.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Mildred e smith died at her washington dc home on january thirtieth nineteen ninety three at the age of seventy seven.

[Unknown]

Beatrice kept inventing things for the rest of her life although she didn't patent any of them in her eighties she worked on a protective device for seat belts that she called nicklas to keep the belt from biting into a person's neck she said she really needed this because she was so short shout out i agree with her because i have the same problem some of the inventions she talked about in the last couple of decades of her life sound a bit more fanciful than the practical ones that she was issued patents on like a portable car garage and a passenger airplane design that would eject debris away from the passengers in the event of.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

A crash beatrice kenner died on january thirteenth two thousand six at sibley hospital in washington dc at the age of.

[Unknown]

Ninety three various sources say beatrice kenner was awarded more patents than any other black woman in us history but that's almost impossible to substantiate since patent applications don't include a disclosure of a person's race in some ways this leveled the playing field for black inventors who could file patent applications themselves or with the help of attorneys at a time when racism would have kept them from accessing other institutions at the same time the patent process was still influenced by the same systemic patterns of discrimination as everything else in the united states patenting an invention still cost money and so did defending a patent in court and there's been racial bias in the courtroom for the entire history of the united states it is clear though that mildred and beatrice were both creative innovative women who both were very savvy about protecting their inventions through patents trademarks and copyright i.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Kind of love both of them yeah.

[Unknown]

They'Re pretty great.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

I kept just stumbling onto new things that i was like oh that's delightful i also have listener mail about something else delightful which is.

[Unknown]

Pens oh pens we love you yeah.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

This came from trish trish wrote i love listening to your show especially the episodes about people and topics that i would never look into myself my favorite shows are the ones that dig into topics that are often considered boring to and make them interesting you do that very well and make my days much more interesting i've developed a habit of spouting random bits of trivia in conversations though i was so happy when this week's topic was pens even if the focus was ballpoint pens i decided to start journaling in december of twenty nineteen this turned out to be a good idea i started going through so many pens gel pens mostly that i felt guilty about the plastic waste when i searched for something more environmentally friendly i fell down the rabbit hole of fountain pen collection culture you can spend a lot of money on one pen luckily for me you can also get some decent ones for less than twenty five dollars i grew up down the road from one of the main cross pen factories in rhode island and my dad carried one of their fountain pens every day for as long as i can remember when he retired a little early in twenty twenty he gave me that pen every time i use it which is pretty much every day i think of him a good fountain pen can last for generations and as a tip if you don't live near one of the few places that still specialize in fountain pens and have trouble with the nib a jeweler can often help fix it pun intended not sorry thank you again for finding and sharing all the interesting things behind everyday topics as a pet tax here is my dog penny who seems to have melted in the heat and my feisty but dumb turtle gulliver who sometimes tries to get off her rock in the wrong direction and needs to be rescued trish thank you so much trish for this email and for these pictures we have a picture of a turtle this turtle appears to be sideways not quite the direction that the turtle should be oriented and also yes puppy dog doing the thing where they stretch out with as much of them as possible touching the floor where it's cool the sploot yep thank you so much trish for this email maybe i'll give fountain pens another go someday and see if i can find one with a nib that does not feel unpleasant to me to write with because that was my big stumbling block if you would like to send us a note about this or any other podcast where it hit history podcast at iheartradio dot com and you can subscribe to our show on the iheartradio app and anywhere else you'd like to get your podcasts stuff youf missed in history class is a production of iheartradio for more podcasts from iheartradio visit the iheartradio app apple podcasts or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

[Unknown]

In the heat of battle your squad relies on you don't let them down unlock elite gaming tech at lenovo dot com dominate every match with next level speed seamless streaming and performance that won't quit and push your gameplay beyond limits with intel core ultra processors that's the power of lenovo with intel inside maximize your edge by shopping at lenovo dot com during their back to school sale that's lenovo dot com.

At t rowe price their experience helps them see investment potential differently instead of quick answers they know that what really leads to confident investing is true curiosity and since you're listening to this podcast we know you value curiosity too it's what drives them to ask the questions that really matter in our ever changing world like can healthcare innovations create a healthier world and how will ai be a part of a new tomorrow just like you their curiosity runs deep and with it comes the power to help you invest more confidently better questions better outcomes t rowe price learn more at t rowprice dot com curiosity going through.

A divorce while trying to hold it together at work we get it hello divorce offers expert help and real support for a fraction of what lawyers usually charge no court battles no confusing steps steps just help that fits around your life some employers even cover it ask yours or visit hellodivorce dot com and schedule your free consultation.

[F]

This is danielle fishel from pod meets world okay moms it's that time again back to school and if you're anything like me you want your kids to look great without spending a fortune and that's why i've been hitting up jcpenney they've got the trends your kids actually want to wear from graphic tees and cool denim to shoes and backpacks all at prices you'll feel really good about and yes i may have grabbed something for myself too like the sleeveless chevron crochet midi dress it is so cute so flattering and perfect for everything from weekend errands to brunch with friends when i told my friends it was from jcpenney they were floored it just goes to show how much style and value you can find when you know where to look jcpenney seriously makes it so easy to check off everything on your list and maybe treat yourself while you're at it whether you're shopping in store or online it's one stop shopping for the whole family so if you've been sleeping on jcpenney now is the time to wake up shop back to school and beyond at jcpenney dot com yes jcpenney this is an iheart podcast.