With her sketchbook labeled My Inventions and her father’s
toolbox, Mattie could make almost anything – toys, sleds, and
a foot warmer. When she was just twelve years old, Mattie
designed a metal guard to prevent shuttles from shooting off
textile looms and injuring workers. As an adult, Mattie
invented the machine that makes the square-bottom paper
bags we still use today. However, in court, a man claimed the
invention was his, stating that she “could not possibly
understand the mechanical complexities.” Marvelous Mattie
proved him wrong, and over the course of her life earned the
title of “the Lady Edison.”