Josephine Cochran invented the dishwasher as we know it today. 

Written by Diya Dwarakanath 

Josephine Cochran thought handwashing dishes was a pain. She also saw that her fine dishes were getting chipped when she handwashed them. So she designed a better way to clean dishes – the first widely used dishwasher!

Cochran got a patent in 1886 for her dishwasher design. It used water jets, a rotating wheel, and a dish rack. She measured her plate sizes to be sure the dish rack would fit. She started the Cochran’s Crescent Washing Machine Company and sold her machines to restaurants and hotels. In 1893, Cochran won an award for her design at the Chicago World’s Fair.

The dishwasher became popular to have at homes in the 1950s. Eventually Cochran’s Crescent Washing Machine Company became KitchenAid. Cochran was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2006 for this invention.

Sources:

• Josephine Cochrane | Dishwashing Machine
• National Inventors Hall of Fame
• Stories of Her (photo source)