🎆An Explosive Inventor: Martha Coston

Her 19th-century invention is still saving lives today!

Today I’m sharing a preview chapter of my upcoming book about women entrepreneurs in history! The book will include about 20 short biographies just like this one.

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Martha Coston (1826-1904)

Martha Coston went from destitute widow desperate to support her family, to successful inventor and entrepreneur. She invented a type of signal flare that had a huge impact on the Civil War and is still in use today. 

She originally got the idea for her invention from her late husband’s journal, but his scribbled idea was just that—a passing fancy that didn’t actually work. But, reading his journal after his passing, Martha realized what a huge impact the signal flare would make in an era with no ship-to-ship communication besides flag signaling. So she dedicated years of her life to self-education, research, and self-advocacy, determined to make it work. 

In the end, her husband got the credit and she was refused payment for her invention, even though the US Navy used hundreds of them in the Civil War and beyond. Even today, people tend to credit the invention to her husband when Martha herself did all the work. She was smart and determined, and in the end she negotiated payment for her work and got a patent in her own name.

Early Life and Tragedy

Martha Jane Hunt was born in Baltimore in 1826, and moved to Philadelphia at a young age. When she was 16, she eloped with a scientist named Benjamin Franklin Coston and became Martha Coston. She had four children by the time she was 21.