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Margaret E Knight: The Most Famous Woman Inventor of the 19th Century
Margaret E Knight was a prolific female American inventor of the 19th century who created many machines and mechanisms used for a variety of industrial and everyday purposes. She is most noted for her invention of a machine used to make flat-bottom paper bags, facilitating the mass production of these. Indeed this type of paper bag is often used by many Americans in particular to carry groceries and packed-lunches to this day. Knight obtained this patent at a time when few women held any intellectual property, making her achievement all the more impressive, becoming a symbol for women’s empowerment.
By the time she died in 1914, Knight had gone on to patent 27 inventions and had made around 90 inventions, with her obituary describing her as a ‘woman Edison’. Here we look at her life, inventions and legacy.
Margaret E Knight: The Most Famous Woman Inventor of the 19th Century
Margaret E Knight was a prolific female American inventor of the 19th century who created many machines and mechanisms used for a variety of industrial and everyday purposes. She is most noted for her invention of a machine used to make flat-bottom paper bags, facilitating the mass production of these. Indeed this type of paper bag is often used by many Americans in particular to carry groceries and packed-lunches to this day. Knight obtained this patent at a time when few women held any intellectual property, making her achievement all the more impressive, becoming a symbol for women’s empowerment.
By the time she died in 1914, Knight had gone on to patent 27 inventions and had made around 90 inventions, with her obituary describing her as a ‘woman Edison’. Here we look at her life, inventions and legacy.
Patent model for the Paper Bag Machine
Friday, March 13, 2026
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