Timeline Description: Marion Donovan came from a family of inventors, so it was no surprise when she joined them. She is credited with creating the first disposable diapers.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1917 | Marion is born Marion was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Many of her family members were inventors, and Marion spent a lot of time with them. |
| 1924 | Marion's mother dies When Marion was seven years old, her mother passed away. Marion began spending more and more time with her father in his factory. |
| 1939 | College graduate Marion eventually moved to Rosemont College in Pennsylvania. She graduated with a BA in English Literature. |
| 1939 | Working at Vogue Magazine Just out of college, Marion took a position at Vogue Magazine. She was assistant beauty editor. |
| 1942 | Marriage and children After graduation, Marion married a man named James Donovan. They began having children after they moved to Cincinnati. |
| 1946 | Diapering her babies Marion quickly saw how difficult it was to diaper her children using cloth diapers. Using a shower curtain, she created a protective layer to keep the soiled cloth from wetting other surfaces. |
| 1949 | Selling her creation Marion called her diaper the Boater, because it kept babies "afloat". They began selling the Boater at Saks 5th Avenue. |
| 1951 | A patented product Marion's creation was patented after a few years of success. She went on to work on a paper diaper, but was unsuccessful; however, she ended up selling her Boater invention for $1 million. |
| 1950 | More patents(Early 1950's) Marion received patents for a few products during this time. She created a zipper device called the Zippity-Do, and a soap dish that helped sticky soap drain into the sink. |
| 1958 | Continuing education Not being a person to give up, Marion decided to return to school. She began attending Yale University. |
| 1960 | Over the years, big companies began recognizing Marion's talent(1960's and beyond). She was often hired as a consultant when a company was designing new products. |
| 1985 | The Dental Loop Marion continued creating. The Dental Loop was patented in 1985, and it took away the need for people to wrap dental floss around their fingers. |
| 1991 | Marketing her product Marion took great efforts to sell her latest creation, the Dental Loop. She went on an extensive tour to visit dental professionals around America. |
| 1998 | Marion's death Marion passed away on November 4, 1998. She was 81 years old, and had acquired over a dozen patents for various household inventions. |
| 1998 | An inspiration(1998 and beyond) Today, Marion is an inspiration to women everywhere. She became a prosperous inventor in a day and age when women were not permitted into the business world. |