Mary Dixon Kies received a U.S. patent for her technique of weaving straw with silk and thread.
On May 5, 1809, Mary Dixon Kies received a U.S. patent for her innovative technique of weaving straw with silk and thread. Her invention was instrumental in advancing the hat industry, particularly at a time when economic self-sufficiency was paramount to the American economy. By receiving a patent, Kies not only revolutionized hat-making methods but also broke new ground as the first woman to be recognized as a U.S. patent holder in her own name. Her achievement came amidst a socio-economic backdrop when women's participation in the industrial realm was neither expected nor encouraged. Kies’s patent opened the doors for future women inventors to approach innovation and claim intellectual property.