We often use paper bags for things-vegetables, clothes, gifts, garbage and wine. Paper bags can also be used for decoration. But how many people know how the flat-bottomed paper bag was invented? Do you know that this invention is a victory of feminism over patriarchy, or a victory of wisdom over bullying?

In the past, containers were mainly made of leather, wood, cotton cloth and reeds. Paper, due to the limitation of production technology in that era, was very expensive and was only used for books and letters. In 1799, French inventor Louis-Nicolas Robert obtained a patent for a roll paper production machine. Since then, paper has been mass produced. Soon, some merchants used roll paper to package their goods, but the effect was not satisfactory. They also used their hands to design the original paper bag fortunately, but it was a waste of time and always failed.

In 1852, the American Francis Wolle obtained a patent for the first paper bag machine, which could use steam and paste to produce envelope-shaped paper bags. Although this kind of paper bag is very impractical, but it has become very popular after it came out. In the late 1860s, Margaret Knight, a New Englander, started working for Columbia Paper Bag Company in Springfield, Massachusetts. In just a few years, her ingenious and original design completely changed the development of industry.

Knight was born in 1838, and her childhood was deeply influenced by the Industrial Revolution. She lost her father at an early age and was raised by her mother. At the age of 10, she started working in a stringent textile factory in New Hampshire. From the beginning, she had never been educated, and she was gifted with invention. When she saw that her colleague was accidentally injured by the iron shuttle of the textile machine, she invented a shuttle protector to prevent the accident from happening again. This invention was adopted by her factory. In an interview with Women’s Magazine in 1872, she recalled her unusual youth:

In her childhood, she didn't like what girls usually liked, and dolls did not have any appeal to her. She just wanted a sailor's knife, a hand drill, and a piece of wood. Her friends called her a tomboy, but it didn't affect her much. She sometimes sighed, but realized that it was useless, and turned to concentrate on her tools. She always makes things for her brother and brother, such as kites and sledges, and is well-known in the town.

When she joined Columbia Paper Bag Company, she was already quite proficient in silver plate photography, photography, carving, house repair and decoration. After working for a while, she heard that the company is currently working on inventing flat-bottomed paper bag production machines. She heard that there was no such machine at the time, so she determined to make every effort to realize this vision. Knight concentrated on his research without the help of the factory or his boss.

In 1867, she devoted herself to inventing a machine that could cut, fold and glue the bottom of a sticker bag. She often delves into the night, and her apartment manager said that she “always keeps drawing the renderings of the machine and doesn’t understand anything else”. Her bosses were also more dissatisfied. It was not until she showed her plan that they believed that she was more talented at work than any man. In 1868, the first machine to produce high-quality, beautiful paper bags was born. When this machine was placed in a Boston shop waiting for finishing, Charles FAnnan, who was morally corrupt, saw it.

Knight is preparing to apply for a patent for her new machine. In 1871, she was shocked to discover that Annan had obtained this patent. The two sides went to court, and the shy Knight hired a patent attorney with a daily salary of 0 to prove that she was the real inventor of the machine. Annan's lawyer retorted that an uneducated, self-taught woman would never have produced such a complicated machine, but he was refuted by the testimony of countless witnesses who witnessed Knight's painstakingly invented. Knight said that she is very interested in mechanical inventions when she urinates. In the end, the patent commissioner supported Knight. Although she still had to be punished for applying for a patent extension, she was forgiven because she was not a male industrialist.

On July 11, 1871, Kniaht obtained the patent number 116842 for the paper bag production machine. She soon established the Oriental Paper Bag Company with her partners and became a media celebrity. The erectable flat-bottomed paper bags were quickly adopted by large stores, and Knight was awarded a royal honor by Queen Victoria. In 1883, Charles Stilwell of United Paper Bag Machine Company made improvements on the basis of Knight's patent and invented a machine for producing self-opening paper bags. This pleated flat-bottom bag is still in use today.

Knight died in 1914 at the age of 76 years. She has been dedicated to invention until the last moment of her life. In 2006, when she was selected as a paper-making T international celebrity, it is estimated that about 25 billion paper bags have been used all over the world.

Over the past few decades, Knight’s legendary story has been introduced in two popular children’s books, Emily Arnold McCully's "Marvelous Mattie" (2006) and Monica Kulling's "In the Bag!" (2011). As a female inventor who invented great machines in a male-dominated industrial field, her story can inspire generations of little girls and young women to engage in scientific research and create inventions.