Margaret Knight (1838-1914) was an inventor, most notably of a machine to produce flat-bottomed paper bags.
Margaret Knight (1838-1914) was an inventor, most notably of a machine to produce flat-bottomed paper bags.
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Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know–but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators, Villains, Indigenous Storytellers, Activists, and many more. Womanica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.
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Hi! From Wonder Media Network, I’m Elsa Majimbo. This is Womanica.
This month, we’re talking about Innovators. Women who helped shape the world we live in today – from inventors to thinkers, their decisions to explore new paths led us to where we are today.
In the nineteenth century, it was rare for patent-holders to be women. But during that time, one woman received over 20 patents - including the first patent for a paper-bag folding machine. Let’s talk about Margaret Knight.
Margaret was born on February 14, 1838 in York, Maine. Margaret’s father passed away while she was still a child. In order to support her widowed mother, at the age of 12 Margaret left school and began working in a cotton mill.
Growing up, Margaret was known for her industriousness - she was an avid woodworker, and often built kites and sleds by hand. At the cotton mill, she was no different. While working, she noticed how often people got injured by malfunctioning looms. Before she’d even turned 13, she built a safety device to prevent the injuries.
Her invention took off, and soon became a staple in cotton mills across the country. But because Margaret didn’t patent her invention, she was never paid for her work.
Margaret eventually left the cotton mill and worked in various industries - from photography to upholstery. Then, in 1867, she began working at the Columbia Paper Bag Company.
At the time, machines could only produce envelope-shaped paper bags. In order to produce a studier bag, with a flat-bottom, people had to fold the bags by hand.
But Margaret thought that process could be automated. And after a year of experimentation, she had built a fully operational machine that could cut, fold, and glue paper together to produce a flat-bottomed bag.
This time around, Margaret knew she needed to get her invention patented. But that didn’t come without its challenges. Charles Annan, who worked in the shop where Margaret’s machine was built, had also filed a patent for Margaret’s machine, claiming it as his own.
Margaret didn’t back down. She took him to court. Charles argued that there was no way the machine was Margaret’s, because she “could not possibly understand the mechanical complexities of the machine.” Margaret proved him wrong when, in court, she presented the detailed blueprints of her machine, all drawn by hand. Charles had no such blueprints to match, and Margaret won the case. In 1870, the patent for the paper bag machine was officially hers.
Margaret’s machine was used all around the world to make paper bags. She went on to co-found her own paper bag company, called the Eastern Paper Bag Company. She never stopped inventing, and in the next thirty years would receive over 20 patents - for everything from a shoemaking machine to a combustion engine.
Although Margaret was a prolific inventor and her inventions allowed her to live comfortably, restrictions on the amount of money she could make from patent sales meant she was never extremely wealthy. When she died on October 12, 1914, she had $300 to her name.
Today, you can see a model of Margaret’s original paper-bag folding machine in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. And in 2006, Margaret was inducted in the National Inventors Hall of Fame. To this day, machines that manufacture paper bags are still based on her original design.
All month, we’re highlighting innovators.
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Special thanks to Jenny and Liz Kaplan for inviting me to guest host.