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b'Until the mid-20th century, putting nappies on babies involved folding and pinning cloth towelling, then pulling a pair of rubber pants over the top. That all began to change on June 12th, 1951, when the US inventor Marion Donovan patented a new kind of nappy, with an envelope-like plastic cover and an absorbent insert.\\nHer invention ultimately netted her a million dollars (nearly $10 million in today\\u2019s money) and paved the way for the development of disposable nappies which have become ubiquitous in many parts of the world today.\\xa0\\nIn this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly discuss how Donovan became one of the most prolific female inventors of her time; reveal that when she attempted to sell her invention, she was laughed out of boardrooms by male executives; and explain why one of her inventions, the \\u201cZippity-Do\\u201d, could potentially be the undoing of Olly\\u2019s relationship with his wife\\u2026\\nFurther Reading:\\n\\u2022 \\u2018The Woman Who Invented Disposable Diapers\\u2019 (The Atlantic, 2014): https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/10/the-woman-who-invented-disposable-diapers/381310/\\xa0\\n\\u2022 \\u2018Marion Donovan: Waterproof Diaper Cover Inventor\\u2019 (National Inventors\\u2019 Hall of Fame, 2023): https://www.invent.org/inductees/marion-donovan\\xa0\\n\\u2022 \\u2018Inventors on "Not for Women Only" from 1975\\u2019 (Lemelson Center, 2013: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-YtYOKt6T0\\xa0\\n#50s #US #Inventions #Sexism\\nLove the show? Join\\xa0\\U0001f334CLUB RETROSPECTORS\\xa0\\U0001f334 to DITCH THE ADS and get an additional full-length episode every SUNDAY!\\nPlus, get weekly bonus bits, unlock over 70 bits of extra content and support our independent podcast.\\nJoin now via\\xa0Apple Podcasts\\xa0or\\xa0Patreon.\\xa0Thanks!\\npodfollow.com/Retrospectors\\nThe Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.\\nTheme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Sophie King.\\nCopyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2023.\\n\\n Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.\\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices'