Sara Little Turnbull Inspired the N95 Respirator From a Bra Cup Design
![](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/sara-little-turner-molded-bra-patent-1590642164.jpg)
What started as an idea to offer women extra comfort during their day-to-day activities turned into a lifesaving device that still holds up almost five decades later.
NPR's history podcast Throughline spoke about Sara Little Turnbull, a former House Beautiful editor who took her design skills to 3M, where she created the first prototype of the N95 respirator.
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From fashion design to health protection — the story of Sara
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Sara Little Turnbull Inspired the N95 Respirator From a Bra Cup
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Mask mandates may end, but the N95 isn't going away
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Sara Little Turnbull Inspired the N95 Respirator From a Bra Cup
![](https://i0.wp.com/opartisano.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/photo_2020-05-11_10-15-17.jpg?fit=96%2C96&ssl=1)
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![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e3/Three_Key_Factors_Required_for_a_Respirator_to_be_Effective.pdf/page1-310px-Three_Key_Factors_Required_for_a_Respirator_to_be_Effective.pdf.jpg)
N95 respirator - Wikipedia
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Sara Little Turnbull: A Creative Force Behind the Design of the
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Sara Little Turnbull Inspired the N95 Respirator From a Bra Cup