May 5

The United States’ Patent Act of 1790 allowed women, for the first time, to be granted patents. Sensing an opportunity to finally get in on a good thing, Mary Dixon Kies applied for a patent for a technique for weaving straw with silk and thread, though just why someone would want to do that is unclear. Apparently, in the early 19th century, straw weaving was a big deal and provided a pretty good living to people. On the 5th in 1809, Mary was the first woman to be granted a patent.
Fellow American Betsy Metcalf invented a method of braiding straw in 1798. She chose to not patent her process because she didn't want her name being sent to Congress. Kies was unable to successfully to defend her patent and she died penniless in Brooklyn, New York in 1837.