Elena Bodnar of Hinsdale, Illinois, received the Ig Nobel Prize (a special type of Nobel awarded to scientists whose results "make people laugh, and then think") for inventing a special bra whose cups could be used as two gas masks -- one for the owner and one for a bystander in need. This way, the masks are always on hand for sudden emergencies.

She won the Nobel prize for giving women a practical reason to remove their bras.