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Margaret A. Wilcox –– Car Heater

Personal Life

Margaret A. Wilcox was an American inventor who had a passion for finding solutions to make life easier and more efficient. Born in Chicago in 1838, Wilcox became one of the few mechanical engineers of her time – graduating and receiving a Mechanical Engineering degree at a time when women rarely even attended college. She experimented constantly in hopes of creating an invention to better the lives around her. However, because it was illegal for women at that time to file for patents using their own names, Wilcox had to file using her husband’s name. One of her earlier and more intriguing inventions was a combination (mash-up) between a clothes and dishwashing machine; although this combination had the potential to become an efficient appliance to save resources, it never found success. Other inventions include a bake pan and a heater, which was patented in collaboration with Harry S. Stewart in 1905. Little else is known about her early life.

Innovation & Pain Point

Before Wilcox’s invention, the insulation technology for cars was fairly limited and rudimentary. When people left the comfort of their homes for a trip in the car, it was normal for them to dress for the weather currently outside. Because cars had no heating system, people had no choice but to bear with the cold during a freezing, snowy day, which often led to miserable rides. Everyone fell prey to habituation and accepted this as a cruel but necessary reality; everyone except Wilcox. When she noticed that the people who drove and rode in the cars during the winter months were in torment, she knew she had to do something about it. Knowing that engines already produced a good amount of heat, Wilcox wondered if this heat could be utilized and transferred to keep the interior of the car warm. She started experimenting with a lot of ideas, one of which funneled the cold air through the engine space to heat it up before sending it back to the cabin. This simple yet groundbreaking heat-channeling concept developed into the world’s first car heater, which she was able to patent under her own name for the first time in November 1893 – receiving full credit for her invention. This invention not only made the trip more comfortable (keeping the cabin warm), but it also kept the windows from frosting/misting up – addressing an important safety concern.

Transformation & Impact on Society Today

Although Wilcox’s “car heater” was (strictly speaking) created for railway cars (the only “car” available at the time), this concept would lay the foundation for all modern-day car heaters. There were some glaring faults with the invention’s initial design: mainly that the temperature itself could not be regulated, which would cause the air in the interior to become warmer and warmer as the ride continued. This would lead to two extremes: either the occupants would be freezing cold without the heater or sweating hot with the heater. Due to these problems, only basic interpretations of her invention were used considering her concept, though revolutionary, still needed further improvements. It was not until over 30 years later that Wilcox’s concept got perfected and implemented with Ford using her hot engine air design in 1929. This creation eventually transformed and evolved into modern-day’s complex temperature control system which uses the heated air from the engine and the cold air from the outside to maintain the desired temperature. “​​The next time you enter your car and turn the heater on, make a silent thank you note to the woman who invented the first car heater” – Margaret A. Wilcox.