You will probably be surprised to know that the creation of the dishwasher is credited to a woman, Josephine Cochrane. Her invention made our lives much easier. Every time we load dirty plates into the dishwasher, we mentally thank the person who invented it. Who is Josephine Cochrane and how did she invent the kitchen helper? Learn more at ichicago.net.
Wealthy life
Josephine was born to a family of inventors in Ashtabula County, Ohio, in 1839. Her father was a construction engineer and invented the hydraulic pump. Josephine’s grandfather, John Fitch, designed the first steamboat in the United States.
At the age of 19, Josephine married her beloved husband William Cochran, taking his surname. However, she decided to change it a little to Cochrane. Josephine and William were famous people in Chicago. After the wedding, William was engaged in trade and political activity. Thanks to this, the family bought a nice house and moved into it. They constantly arranged friendly gatherings with businessmen.
Most of Josephine’s housework was done by her servants. The woman once noticed that her expensive porcelain dishes were cracked. The reason was that they were always washed in the sink. Cochrane first tried to wash the dishes by herself but realized that it was a very tiring process. She had to come up with something that would simplify it.
Creation of the dishwasher
After some time, Josephine found herself in a bad life situation, which forced her to develop a dishwasher. Her husband passed away in 1883, and she was left alone with great debts. To quickly get rid of financial problems, Josephine had to implement the idea of the dishwasher and thus generate income.
One day, mechanic George Butters came by Cochrane’s house. They went to the shed located on Josephine’s estate and created the first dishwasher. Josephine measured her dishes and made wire compartments for plates and cups. Then she placed them in a wheel laid in a copper boiler. The wheel rotated, driven by a motor. The soapy water poured on the dishes and cleaned them.
The woman received a patent in the winter of 1886. After that, she started making dishwashers for her friends. The woman called her invention Cochrane Dishwasher. Josephine even advertised her product in local newspapers to earn more money.
Success despite everything
Josephine Cochrane presented her dishwasher at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. It was a real sensation. Universities, hospitals, hotels and restaurants began to actively order the new invention. However, the dishwasher also received negative feedback from opponents. Some people didn’t like the dishwasher because it was expensive and unaffordable for many. Some women also believed that such washing leaves traces of detergent on the dishes.
Despite harsh criticism and even hatred among dishwashers, who got very worried that the machine would leave them unemployed, the inventor constantly improved her device. In 1897, she patented the dishwasher design and opened the world’s first factory producing dishwashers. A little later, she founded Cochran’s Crescent Washing Machine Company.
The great woman passed away due to a stroke in 1913. Josephine managed to modernize her invention during her lifetime. She added a rotating rinsing system, a centrifugal pump and a draining hose to the machine. The residents of Chicago and people all over the world are using dishwashers thanks to Josephine Cochrane.