She was motivated to create the device after the death of her husband, who bequeathed her a small sum and debts
135 years ago, the first modern dishwasher appeared on the market. Its inventor is, of course, a woman who decided to make her life easier and reduce the damage caused by broken porcelain dishes. Josephine Cochrane is not an ordinary American housewife, mother of two, but an inventor. The technical thought he probably inherited from his grandfather, who held a patent for the invention of the steamboat.
Josephine’s talent blossomed when she was 44 years old. After her husband’s death in 1883, Cochrane was left with only $1,535.59 and a significant amount of debt to pay off. This motivated her to create this innovation. At the time, this was difficult for any woman, regardless of her background or position.
In the following years, she worked hard to bring her innovation to market, with little money, technical knowledge and help developing the mechanics of her pressure washer.
After filing her first patent application on December 31, 1885, she began developing a prototype of her product. Cochrane designed the first model of his dishwasher in the shed behind his house. Mechanic George Butters helped her build the dishwasher. He subsequently began working as a manager in Josephine Cochrane’s first dishwasher factory.
To build the machine, she first measured the dishes and created wire compartments, each specially designed to fit plates, cups or saucers. The compartments were placed in a wheel lying in a copper cauldron. A motor turned the wheel as hot soapy water sprayed from the bottom of the cauldron onto the plates. Cochrane and Butters’ washing machine was the first to use water pressure. Josephine received a patent on December 28, 1886, when she was 47 years old.
However, the first dishwashers were too expensive for the average household – they cost between 75 and 100 dollars.
The World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 proved pivotal in Cochrane’s business, as many restaurants and hotels placed orders for Cochrane’s innovation. In 1898, she opened her own factory so she could expand her sales north and south, reaching from Mexico to Alaska.
Its main customers continued to be hotels and restaurants. It wasn’t until the 1950s that dishwashers became popular for home use. Cochrane died in 1913 aged 74. In 1926 her company was sold.
Cochrane died of a stroke or exhaustion in Chicago, Illinois, on August 3, 1913. In 2006, she was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
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