To be honest, I have never used or seen a dishwasher before. It's one of the few home appliances that I have not been fortunate enough to own or even see firsthand, in person. I am aware of its function and efficiency, and I have seen an ad for a dishwasher which demonstrated the inner workings of the machine. Alas, it's not something that many people I know think to be a must-have for home appliances. However, if I were given the option to receive a dishwasher, then I will not hesitate to accept, just so that I can see the process that goes on in there, and perhaps, just so that I won't be ignorant about it.
Did you know that the inventor of the dishwasher, Josephine Cochrane, brought her idea to reality out of sheer desperation? The story is, Mrs. Cochrane's husband met his untimely demise leaving her and their two children to fend for themselves. Given that it was also in the 19th century, being a widow with two children to feed and raise, life wasn't going to be rainbows and skittles.
Being born into a family of inventors and tinkerers, Cochrane decided that it was finally time to bring her ambition to fruition. Despite not having a formal education in the sciences, Cochrane had been exposed well enough to her civil engineer father and her grandfather, who had first patented the steamboat. And so, she looked for a problem that needed an urgent solution.
Now, anybody who has washed dishes would know the annoyances that such a task can bring. Cochrane was fed up with chipped, nicked, or cracked dishes and utensils, and she wondered why nobody has ever thought of inventing a machine that can do all of that labor for her.
The 19th century saw many inventions brought to life from the steam engine and the telephone, to the first automobile and the light bulb. However, most of them were concerned with things outside the home. Being a housewife, Cochrane knew the struggles that many other women were most likely going through at the time. They would spend all day doing housework, leaving them with no time to do other things.
Seeing this particular problem with her chinaware, Cochrane resolved to make her own dishwashing machine. At the time, there had already been several attempts at building prototypes of dishwashers. There was a hand-cranked dish soaker designed by Joel Houghton, and an upgraded version of that by L.A. Alexander. Both of which were quite bad.
Cochrane, on the other hand, paid particular attention to measuring cups, plates, and other kitchenware in making her design, envisioning the final product as one in which different types of wares will have their own compartments. These compartments were then placed on a rotating wheel which allowed all of the wares to be squirted with soapy water.
With the help of the local mechanic George Butters, Cochrane was able to invent the first dishwasher and she filed her patent in December 1885 for the "Cochrane Dishwasher". Then came the equally challenging part of the whole process: actually selling the machine.
Having an initial price between $75 to $100 made sure that these dishwashers would not yet be sold to households, as it was too expensive, so Cochrane turned to commercial establishments like restaurants and hotels. The first order of dishwashers she received was from the Palmer Hotel in Chicago, for $800.
Soon, another opportunity would open up with the World's Columbian Expo in Chicago, where she exhibited the first dishwasher to investors, other inventors, and the public. At the time, her dishwasher was the only invention by a woman displayed in the Machinery Hall. Also, the dishwasher had been upgraded as an industrial model which could wash and dry 240 dishes in two minutes. This piqued the interest of many other clients like schools and hospitals that ended up ordering machines from her. Furthermore, she received the award for design and durability, which catapulted the dishwasher into a household name.
Fast forward to 1898, Cochrane opened up a factory for her business, now called Cochrane's Crescent Washing Machine Company. In 1913, Cochrane died from a stroke, but her legacy lived on as her dishwasher continued to be improved upon with innovations in design until such a point that the company was able to sell the dishwashers at a lower price, enabling households to purchase them. Advancements in soap also paved the way for dishes to be cleaner and come out without residue.
The company became KitchenAid, which was later acquired by the Whirlpool Corporation. And in 2006, Josephine Cochrane was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
Her story is quite an inspiring one and at the end of her life, she admitted that had she known how difficult it was going to be to invent something and then bring her invention to the market, she may not have had the courage to embark on it. However, she also said that the whole journey had been a wonderful experience.
(Image credit: Public Domain/Wikimedia Commons)