The contraceptive pill
Who
Gregory Pincus, an American Jewish biologist who led its development, and Carl Djerassi, an Austrian-Jewish chemist who first synthesised the progestin it uses.
When
1950s (approved 1960)
Where
Massachusetts, USA / Mexico City
The oral contraceptive pill gave women reliable control over their own fertility and reshaped modern society. Its development was led by biologist Gregory Pincus, from a Jewish family, and it relied on the synthetic progestin first made by Carl Djerassi, a Jewish refugee chemist from Nazi-annexed Austria.
Sources
Part of “The Gifts of the Jews” — verified Jewish contributions to the world, with sources.