What If WiFi, GPS Or Dishwashers Didn’t Exist? This Instagram Reel Credits Women Behind Everyday Inventions

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Everyday life runs on habits we barely notice. You wake up, check your phone, make a call, drive somewhere, send a location, load the dishwasher, carry groceries home in a paper bag. None of these moments feel extraordinary. They're simply part of the pattern of a normal day. Now imagine those things disappearing for a day.

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That's the idea behind a recent reel by digital creator Neha Sinha, who runs the Instagram page 'mommy.with.camera'. To mark International Women's Day 2026, she posted a playful yet thought-provoking video showing her husband attempting to go about his day without inventions created by women.

The result? Chaos, confusion and a lot of "Wait... how do we do this now?" Through humour, the reel highlights something people rarely pause to think about how many everyday technologies were shaped by women inventors whose names are often missing from casual conversation.

A Reel That Turns Everyday Life Into A Reality Check

In the video, Sinha sets up a simple experiment: what would happen if her husband had to function without inventions developed by women? The situations quickly spiral into inconvenience.

Suddenly, basic tasks become tricky. Communication tools vanish. Navigation becomes harder. Even simple household routines start falling apart.

The reel nudges viewers to recognise how much modern life relies on innovations created by women.

Sinha captioned the reel: "Honoring the women whose ideas made the world smarter, safer, and better. Happy Women's Day!"

The post quickly resonated with viewers who appreciated both the humour and the reminder.

The Women Inventors Featured In The Reel

The reel highlights several remarkable innovators whose work still shapes everyday life.

Marianne Croak - Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP)

Ever made a WhatsApp call or joined a video meeting? Those everyday digital conversations rely heavily on technologies developed by Marianne Croak.

A pioneering engineer and inventor, Croak played a major role in developing Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), which allows voice communication to travel over the internet instead of traditional telephone lines. Over the course of her career, she has also received hundreds of patents related to internet communication technologies.

Today, VoIP powers many communication platforms used across the world, from messaging apps to virtual meeting services.

Margaret E. Knight - The Flat-Bottom Paper Bag Machine

If you've ever carried groceries in a paper bag, you're benefiting from the work of Margaret E. Knight.

In the late 1860s, Knight invented a machine that could produce flat-bottom paper bags - the kind that stand upright and hold goods more efficiently. Before her invention, paper bags were more like envelopes and far less practical.

Her design was patented in 1870 and eventually transformed the way paper bags were manufactured, making them far more useful for everyday shopping.

Josephine Cochrane - The Dishwasher

Modern kitchens would look very different without Josephine Cochrane.

Frustrated with servants damaging her fine china while washing dishes, Cochrane designed the first practical mechanical dishwasher in the 1880s. Her invention used water pressure to clean dishes and received a patent in 1886.

The early machines were mainly used in hotels and restaurants, but the idea eventually evolved into the dishwashers now common in homes around the world.

Gladys West - GPS Technology

Lost without Google Maps? You're not alone.

Mathematician Gladys West played a crucial role in developing the mathematical models that helped make Global Positioning System (GPS) technology possible.

While working for the U.S. Navy, West helped develop precise satellite geodesy models of the Earth's shape. These calculations later became essential for the accuracy of satellite navigation systems.

Today, GPS powers everything from smartphone maps to ride-hailing apps and delivery services.

Mary Anderson - The Windshield Wiper

Driving through rain or snow would be nearly impossible without windshield wipers.

In 1903, Mary Anderson patented a hand-operated device designed to clear rain, sleet and snow from vehicle windshields.

At first, many manufacturers believed drivers would find the moving blade distracting. Over time, however, the invention proved essential, and windshield wipers eventually became standard equipment on automobiles worldwide.

Hedy Lamarr - Frequency-Hopping Technology

The reel also highlights the work of Hedy Lamarr, who was widely known as a Hollywood star but also made an important contribution to communications technology.

During World War II, Lamarr and composer George Antheil developed a system based on "frequency-hopping" radio signals to prevent enemy forces from jamming radio-controlled torpedoes. They received a patent for the idea in 1942.

Although the invention was not widely used during the war, the concept later became one of the foundational ideas behind modern spread-spectrum communication technologies used in wireless systems such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

Melitta Bentz - The Coffee Filter

Another innovator featured in the reel is Melitta Bentz, whose invention changed how millions of people start their mornings.

In 1908, Bentz created the first practical coffee filter by punching small holes in a brass pot and lining it with blotting paper taken from her son's school notebook. The simple solution filtered coffee grounds more effectively and produced a smoother drink.

Her invention quickly gained popularity and eventually led to the founding of the Melitta company, which popularised disposable paper coffee filters used in homes and cafés around the world.

The Takeaway From This Women's Day 2026

Many innovations that shape daily life are so embedded in routine that people rarely stop to ask where they came from. Reels like Neha Sinha's help spark that curiosity. They show that behind ordinary conveniences are extraordinary ideas often developed by women who pushed forward despite limited recognition in their time. The inventions highlighted in the reel are just a small glimpse of that legacy.

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The next time you make an internet call, follow GPS directions, drive through the rain or carry groceries home, it might be worth pausing for a moment. Chances are, somewhere in that routine, a woman's idea is making the day run a little smoother.