Holder of 55 patents and a 2008 inductee to the National Inventors Hall of Fame, Ruth R. Benerito was an American chemist best known for her invention of “easy-care” permanent press cotton, a staple of modern fabrics. Her work at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in New Orleans focused on chemically bonding cotton fibers in a way that would prevent wrinkling. Today, many think of her inventions as having saved the cotton industry. Benerito passed away at age 97 on Oct. 5, 2013

[Gone in 2013: A Tribute to 10 Remarkable Women in Science Guest Blog, Scientific American Blog Network](http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2013/12/30/gone-in-2013-a-tribute-to-10-remarkable-women-in-science/)  This is my favourite example from this article (via interestingsnippets)