Before we had the convenience of a freezer to pop our Ben and Jerry’s into, there was the painstaking process of making ice cream that took hours upon hours. It was a treat only available to the rich, but our good friend Nancy changed all that.

A Look Back In Time

Nancy Johnson was born in 1794 and went on to be a loving adoptive mother and housewife. Despite the legal bindings of the time dictating her financial future as a wife, Nancy was a force to be reckoned with and was known to be a social empowerer by teaching women how to make their own way in the world.

Nancy received her patent number US3254A for the Artificial Freezer on September 9th, 1843. The patent included a design for a hand crank that would spin and rotate to churn ice cream and make it into a delicious treat in a shorter amount of time.

Nancy opened the door for all types of people to be able to enjoy ice cream by lowering the cost involved with how to produce and sell ice cream. With little financial means to mass-produce her invention, Nancy sold her ice cream maker patent to William G. Young for $200.

Inventor’s Impact

Next time you dip your spoon into a fresh tub of ice cream you’ll know the name of the woman inventor who changed the course of history for our beloved summertime treats.

Without her dedication (and perhaps a sweet tooth) we would not have ice cream as we know it today!

Learn more about inventors like Nancy at Women Inventors Book.