Marion O'Brien Donovan was an American inventor and entrepreneur.
11 Facts About Marion Donovan
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Marion Donovan was born on October 15,1917 in South Bend, Indiana to Anne and Miles O'Brien.
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Nineteen years later, as one of the three women in her graduating class, Marion Donovan earned a master's degree in architecture from Yale University.
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Marion Donovan divorced Donovan in the 1970s and married John F Butler in 1981.
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Marion Donovan was determined to find a more efficient way of dealing with this problem, so she began experimenting in her attic with various materials and this eventually led her to repurpose a lightweight shower curtain to craft a waterproof diaper cover.
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In 1951, Marion Donovan sold the patent for her diaper cover for $1 million, which was a remarkable sum at the time, and a testament to the invention's value.
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Marion Donovan's creations not only offered parents a more effective way to manage diaper changes, but highlighted the importance of user-friendly solutions for common problems, which is an ethos now central to many successful consumer products.
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In recognition of her groundbreaking achievements, Marion Donovan was showcased in the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2015.
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Marion Donovan stands as a testament to the power of ingenuity and perseverance, inspiring future generations of female inventors to turn their observations of daily life into meaningful innovations.
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Marion Donovan died on November 4,1998, from heart disease at the age of 81 at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan.
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Marion Donovan was elected to the National Inventors Hall of Fame in May 2015 and has a picture on the Hall of Fame wall.