Clear Vision: Mary Anderson's Windshield Wiper
In the winter of 1902, Mary Anderson, a real estate developer and rancher from Alabama, visited New York City. While riding a streetcar on a snowy day, she observed that the motorman had to drive with the front window panes open, or periodically stop the streetcar to wipe snow and sleet off the windshield by hand. This not only delayed the journey but also exposed both the driver and the passengers to the freezing cold. Anderson immediately began sketching a solution.
Upon returning to Alabama, Anderson designed a manually operated device consisting of a lever inside the vehicle that controlled a rubber blade on the outside of the windshield. The lever allowed the driver to wipe the window without opening it. She was granted a patent for her invention in 1903, which she called a "window cleaning device." However, when she attempted to sell the rights to her invention to several manufacturing firms, including a prominent Canadian company, they rejected it, believing that the device had no commercial value and would distract drivers.
Anderson’s patent expired in 1920, just as the automotive industry began to boom. Shortly thereafter, Cadillac became the first car manufacturer to adopt the windshield wiper as standard equipment, based closely on Anderson's design. Although she never received financial compensation for her invention, Mary Anderson is now recognized as the visionary who made driving in inclement weather safe and practical.
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Suppose the writer's goal had been to write an essay that chronicles how Mary Anderson's invention of the windshield wiper eventually brought her great wealth and commercial success during her lifetime. Is it true or false that the essay successfully fulfills this goal?
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