Who Invented Windshield Wipers? The Surprising History Behind a Daily Driving Essential​

Windshield wipers are one of those inventions we rarely think about—until we need them. On a rainy commute, a snowy morning, or even a spray of mud from a passing truck, these simple yet critical devices keep our windshields clear, ensuring safe visibility. But have you ever stopped to wonder: Who invented windshield wipers?The answer is more layered than you might expect, involving a determined female inventor, decades of iterative innovation, and a slow journey from niche concept to automotive standard. This article unpacks the full history, from the first patent to modern smart systems, and highlights the unsung heroes who made today’s wipers possible.

Mary Anderson: The Woman Who Saw a Problem—and Solved It

The story of the windshield wiper begins not with engineers in a lab, but with a keen observation by a Southern woman on a winter trip. Mary Anderson was born in 1866 in Greene County, Alabama, to a family of farmers and entrepreneurs. By the early 1900s, she had moved to Birmingham, Alabama, where she ran a cattle ranch and vineyard before relocating to New York City in 1902. It was there, during a visit to New York in the winter of 1903, that Anderson witnessed a problem that would change automotive history.

Anderson was riding in a trolley car on a snowy day when she noticed the driver struggling to see through the front window. The driver kept stopping the vehicle, sticking his head outside to wipe snow and sleet away with a gloved hand, and then resuming motion—dangerously distracting and inefficient. At the time, automobiles were rare, but trolleys and early cars were becoming more common, and weather-related visibility issues were already a growing concern. Anderson realized there had to be a better way to clear windshields without requiring the driver to stop or use their hands.

Within months, Anderson sketched a design for a manually operated windshield wiper. Her invention consisted of a lever inside the vehicle connected to a rubber blade that swept across the outside of the windshield. The lever could be moved back and forth by the driver, moving the blade to clear rain, snow, or debris. Unlike earlier attempts (more on those later), Anderson’s design was practical: it was compact, easy to use, and directly addressed the visibility problem without obstructing the driver’s view or requiring external tools.

In 1903, Anderson applied for a U.S. patent for her “Window Cleaning Device for Electric Cars and Other Vehicles.” The patent, granted in November 1903 (U.S. Patent No. 743,801), described a system where a flexible rubber strip was attached to a spring-loaded arm, controlled by a handle inside the car. This was the first documented invention of a windshield wiper as we understand it today—a mechanical device to automatically clear a vehicle’s windshield while in motion.

Before Anderson: Early Attempts at Windshield Cleaning

Anderson’s patent wasn’t the first time someone tried to solve the problem of dirty windshields. As early as the 1800s, inventors were experimenting with ways to keep windows clear, though none of these designs achieved widespread use.

One of the earliest precursors was patented in 1896 by J.H. Apjohn, a British inventor. Apjohn’s “Improvement in Apparatus for Cleaning Carriage Windows” used two brushes mounted on a frame that could be raised or lowered to scrape the inside of a carriage window. However, this design only cleaned the lower half of the window, relied on manual operation, and was never adapted for automobiles.

Another early attempt came from a Michigan businessman named William M. Folwell, who in 1899 filed a patent for a “Device for Cleaning the Front of Vehicles.” Folwell’s invention involved a series of rotating brushes driven by the vehicle’s movement, but the brushes were prone to tangling and ineffective on wet or icy glass. Like Apjohn’s design, it never gained traction.

Why did these early ideas fail? For one, automobiles were still a novelty in the late 1800s—most people traveled by horse-drawn carriages, which had smaller windows and less need for constant cleaning. Additionally, early cars had open-air designs or small, tilting windshields, reducing the urgency for a dedicated cleaning system. By the time Anderson invented her wiper, however, enclosed automobiles with larger windshields were becoming more common, making visibility a critical safety issue.

Why Anderson’s Invention Struggled to Catch On

You might assume that Anderson’s timely, practical invention would have been immediately adopted by the burgeoning automotive industry. But that wasn’t the case. In fact, Anderson struggled to sell her patent, and her design languished for years before gaining recognition.

At the time, the automotive industry was in its infancy. Cars were expensive, unreliable, and owned mostly by wealthy enthusiasts. Manufacturers prioritized engines, speed, and aesthetics over safety features like windshield wipers. Anderson approached several companies, including car manufacturers and railway firms, but was met with skepticism. One trolley company reportedly told her, “Our drivers are used to clearing windows themselves—it’s not a problem.”

Additionally, early cars often had open tops or removable windshields, meaning drivers could simply lean out to wipe the glass. Some critics even argued that wipers would distract drivers, claiming the movement of the blade might take their focus off the road. Anderson’s patent expired in 1920 without generating significant income, and she never profited from her invention—a common fate for early female inventors, who faced systemic barriers to commercializing their work.

The Evolution of Windshield Wipers: From Manual to Automatic

Though Anderson’s original design didn’t immediately revolutionize driving, it laid the groundwork for decades of innovation. By the 1910s and 1920s, as cars became more affordable and common, the demand for better visibility tools grew. Inventors built on Anderson’s concept, introducing key improvements.

1. The First Electric Wipers: Charlotte Bridgford’s 1917 Patent

In 1917, a Detroit-based inventor named Charlotte Bridgford patented an electric windshield wiper. Bridgford’s design used a small electric motor to power the wiper blade, eliminating the need for manual operation. This was a game-changer: drivers could now clear their windshields without taking their hands off the wheel or brakes. However, Bridgford’s invention faced similar adoption challenges. Early electric systems were bulky, expensive, and prone to mechanical failures. It wasn’t until the 1920s, when automotive electrical systems improved, that electric wipers began to appear in higher-end vehicles.

2. Trico Products: Making Wipers Mainstream

The company that would eventually bring windshield wipers to the masses was Trico Products, founded in 1917 by John R. Oishei. Oishei, a businessman from Buffalo, New York, was inspired by a close call: his own car accident, caused by a sudden downpour that left him unable to see the road. Determined to prevent such incidents, Oishei acquired the rights to an improved manual wiper design and began manufacturing them under the Trico brand.

By the 1920s, Trico had developed a reputation for reliability. When Henry Ford introduced the Model T in 1908, windshields were optional, but by the 1920s, they were standard—and so were wipers. Trico’s mass production and focus on affordability made wipers a must-have feature. By 1930, nearly every new car in the U.S. came equipped with Trico wipers, cementing their place in automotive history.

3. The Rise of Automatic and Multi-Speed Wipers

In the 1950s and 1960s, wipers evolved further. Engineers introduced multi-speed controls, allowing drivers to adjust the wiper speed based on rainfall intensity. Then, in 1969, the first automatic wipers hit the market. These systems used sensors to detect rain and adjust wiper speed automatically—though early versions were clunky and unreliable.

Modern innovations have taken this even further. Today’s wipers include:

• ​Beam blades: Curved, single-piece designs that conform better to windshield contours.

• ​Heated blades: Wires embedded in the rubber to melt ice and snow.

• ​Silicone blades: More durable and longer-lasting than traditional rubber.

• ​Rain-sensing wipers: Advanced sensors that use infrared light to detect water on the windshield, automatically activating and adjusting speed.

Mary Anderson’s Legacy: A Forgotten Inventor, A Lifesaving Invention

Mary Anderson’s story is a reminder that groundbreaking inventions often go unrecognized in their time, especially when their inventors face systemic barriers. As a Black woman in the early 1900s, Anderson lacked the connections and resources to promote her patent effectively. Yet her design—born from a simple observation on a snowy trolley ride—revolutionized driving safety.

Today, windshield wipers are a $2 billion global industry, with millions sold annually. Modern systems are smarter, more durable, and more efficient than ever, but they all trace their roots to Anderson’s 1903 patent. In 2011, she was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame, finally receiving recognition for her contribution.

Conclusion: The Unsung Hero of Road Safety

So, who invented windshield wipers? Mary Anderson did—at least the first practical, patented version. But her story is also about the iterative nature of innovation: inventors building on each other’s work, manufacturers adapting designs for mass appeal, and society eventually embracing a tool that once seemed unnecessary.

Next time you flick on your wipers during a storm, remember Anderson’s ingenuity. Her invention, born from a moment of frustration, has saved countless lives by ensuring drivers can see clearly, no matter the weather. And as technology continues to evolve—with self-heating blades, AI-driven sensors, and even solar-powered wipers—we can trace it all back to that winter day in 1903, when a woman looked out a trolley window and decided to make driving safer for everyone.