The theme of Polish American Heritage Month is Enterprise, and what better way to celebrate than with a look at some Polish inventors?
For example, did you know that Barbie was invented by a Polish-American inventor? Although Barbie has gone through many changes, she is still a fixture in toy stores and homes around the world. Her creator, Ruth Marianna Handler, was born to Polish-Jewish immigrants. Later Handler, with her husband, founded Mattel and fought both racism and sexism to build it into a huge multinational corporation. While her later life was marred by fraud charges, Handler was still able develop prosthetics for women and continue her extensive charity work. Read all about her story in Barbie and Ruth!
Although Steve Jobs gets a lot of the credit for Apple's success, Steve Wozniak actually developed the Apple I, one of the first personal computers ever created. From a garage in Palo Alto to Dancing with the Stars, the Woz has led a fascinating life. He tells his own story in an entertaining autobiography, IWoz.
Stephanie Kwolek was trying to create a strong, lightweight fiber that could be used to reinforce car tires, but she instead discovered Kevlar, a material used in over 200 applications. Five times stronger than steel, Kevlar is used to make everything from cell phones to kayaks to tennis rackets. Kwolek's discovery changed the field of chemistry and saved many lives. Although she passed away in 2014, Stephanie Kwolek's greatest invention still has a huge impact today.
Everyone in your family can learn about this marvelous invention with the following titles:
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