Josephine Cochrane, inventor of the dishwasher. History of the dishwasher In 1886, the first mechanized dishwasher

Josephine Cochrane, sometimes Josephine Cochrane, was born in 1839 in Ashtabula County, Ohio. She was the great-granddaughter of a very famous man, the inventor of the steamboat, John Fitch. The girl grew up in an atmosphere of engineering creativity; there was constant talk in the family about inventions and mechanisms. Her parents' family was quite wealthy, and Josephine, as she grew older, did not have to worry too much about the financial side of life. So, she led a social lifestyle, had a lot of fun, and in general did not think about such things as washing dishes. However, the constant broken dishes irritated her, and this irritation turned to decisive action when she realized that her favorite set would soon be all broken.

So, having said her phrase that went down in history: “If no one is going to invent the dishwasher, then I will eventually do it!”, She went to the shed in the backyard of her house.



Very soon, her research became forced - Josephine’s husband suddenly died, and the widow had to think about how to provide herself with a decent standard of living. It was then that Cochrane bet on her invention, realizing that if the dishwashing machine turned out to be viable, then it would be guaranteed a comfortable existence, and at the same time a whole bunch of dishes.

Her experiments did not last long, and a few months later Josephine Cochrane presented her brainchild to the world. Externally, the machine was a round wooden tub, in the middle of which there was a metal axle. It resembled the washing machines that existed at that time. A special mesh for dishes was placed on the axis, and a steam engine drive went from below to the axis. Of course, Josephine, who came from a family directly related to steam engines, did not look for other solutions. So, the turbine of the steam engine heated the water under the grid, and also rotated the grid with the dishes.

Repeated tests convinced the inventor that her machine worked perfectly - the dishes after the cycle turned out to be spotlessly clean and equally intact.

Cochrane submitted her “Dishwashing Machine” to the Patent Office, indicating in the cover letter that after washing in her machine, the dishes would not even have to be wiped - the high temperature of the process would dry them themselves. However, it was precisely this point that later turned out to be controversial - according to some information, the dishes remained wet after washing. But these were already details, but in general, Josephine Cochrane’s dishwasher received a start in life.

Having established production, Josephine began accepting orders. It is known that Cochrane also conducted a fairly wide advertising campaign in the local press, and soon restaurants, hotels and cafes became interested in the wonderful machine under the Cochrane Dishwasher brand.

Josephine made a real splash at the Chicago World's Fair in 1893, where she received not only the admiration of the public, but also the winner's award.

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At first, its cars sold quite well, the only problem was that for some consumers the unit turned out to be very expensive. So, male breadwinners simply had no idea - why pay for a machine that washes dishes if they are already paying the maids who wash these very dishes? There were also individual complaints - some said that soap scum remained on the dishes after washing, others complained about the excessive consumption of hot water.

(1839 ) Date of death:

She was born into the family of engineer John Garis and Irene Fitch Garis. Granddaughter of the inventor of the first American steamship, John Fitch. Wife of merchant and Democratic Party politician William Cochrane.

She is buried in Glenwood Cemetery in Shelbyville.

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Passage characterizing Cochrane, Josephine

“You’ll warm your back, but your belly is frozen.” What a miracle.
- Oh my God!
- Why are you pushing, is the fire about you alone, or what? See... it fell apart.
From behind the established silence, the snoring of some who had fallen asleep was heard; the rest turned and warmed themselves, occasionally talking to each other. A friendly, cheerful laugh was heard from the distant fire, about a hundred paces away.
“Look, they’re roaring in the fifth company,” said one soldier. – And what a passion for the people!
One soldier got up and went to the fifth company.
“It’s laughter,” he said, returning. - Two guards have arrived. One is completely frozen, and the other is so courageous, dammit! Songs are playing.
- Oh oh? go have a look... - Several soldiers headed towards the fifth company.

The fifth company stood near the forest itself. A huge fire burned brightly in the middle of the snow, illuminating the tree branches weighed down with frost.
In the middle of the night, soldiers of the fifth company heard footsteps in the snow and the crunching of branches in the forest.
“Guys, it’s a witch,” said one soldier. Everyone raised their heads, listened, and out of the forest, into the bright light of the fire, two strangely dressed human figures stepped out, holding each other.
These were two Frenchmen hiding in the forest. Hoarsely saying something in a language incomprehensible to the soldiers, they approached the fire. One was taller, wearing an officer's hat, and seemed completely weakened. Approaching the fire, he wanted to sit down, but fell to the ground. The other, small, stocky soldier with a scarf tied around his cheeks, was stronger. He raised his comrade and, pointing to his mouth, said something. The soldiers surrounded the French, laid out an overcoat for the sick man, and brought porridge and vodka to both of them.

Josephine Garys was born March 8, 1839 in Ohio. She was the daughter of John Garys, an engineer and inventor - in particular, John was the holder of a patent for a type of steam boat. At first, Josephine’s biography developed according to the usual “housewife” scenario. In 1858 she married William Cochrane, they had two children, and in time William became a successful businessman.

In 1870, they bought a large mansion and began hosting parties, which left behind a huge amount of dishes. After every evening, the servants somehow broke a couple of plates while washing, and Josephine began to look for some alternative to the dangerous hand washing. The second idea was to free ordinary housewives who did not have the opportunity to hire servants from manual washing. She famously said: “If no one can make a dishwashing machine, well, I’ll do it myself!”

Home version of the Cochrane machine

The work dragged on for many years. Over time, William began to drink, fell into debt and died very young, in 1883, from prolonged alcoholism, leaving his widow in debt. By this time, Josephine and her engineer friend, George Butters, were already actively developing a dishwasher. They measured dozens of standard utensils - cups, mugs, spoons, plates, jugs, bottles, etc., and then designed a container-box, inside of which they placed holders similar to modern ones. The inventors calculated how water would circulate inside the machine through a rotating drum (while the dishes remained motionless), and Butters installed an electric motor on the machine - the first prototype was ready.

Restaurant version of the Cochrane machine

On December 28, 1886, Josephine Cochrane and George Butters received a patent for their development, and at the famous World's Fair in Chicago in 1893, their machine received a Gold Medal! Immediately after this, Cochrane was bombarded with orders, mostly from restaurants. In 1897, Josephine founded the Garis-Cochran brand, with Butters becoming the company's chief designer.

Josephine Cochrane died at her home in Chicago on August 14, 1913. In 2006, she was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

Dear women! Today we want to wish you to be creative, inventive, persistent and not afraid to go towards your goal, as Josephine Cochrane did!


Josephine Cochrane, inventor of the first commercially successful dishwashing machine, was born in Shelbyville, Illinois in 1839. Her father was a civil engineer, and her great grandfather, John Fitch, was an inventor known for his steamboat-related innovations. Cochrane, thus, may have had creative tendencies in her family. However, she was not formally educated in the sciences.

Cochrane was a socialite. She and her husband, William, often entertained guests at their home. Accustomed to having servants do much of her housework for her, Cochrane did not set out to create the dishwasher to relieve her of the hard work of manually doing the dishes. Rather, the idea came to her when she grew frustrated that her fine China was chipping, mostly by the harsh handling it suffered by the servants as they scrubbed it in the sink. At first, Cochrane tried washing the dishes herself. But she found the task burdensome and thought to herself that there must be a better way.

She worked out a design, one that employed water jets and a dishrack that would hold the soiled tableware in place. Soon after she first began working on the design, her husband passed away, and she was left with debt. This tragedy gave Cochrane a push. She became driven in her desire to create a successful model of her machine. Though others had attempted to create similar devices—a hand-cranked model was patented, for example, in 1850—none had become commercially viable. She was determined that her machine could meet a real consumer need.

Working in a shed behind her home, Cochrane got to work. She measured the dishes and constructed wire compartments to fit plates, cups, and saucers, and placed these inside a wheel that laid flat within a copper boiler. The wheel turned, powered by a motor, and soapy water would squirt up over the dishes to clean them. In 1886, she patented her design and began making them for friends, calling the machine the “Cochrane Dishwasher.” She also advertised the machines in local newspapers. She established Cochran’s Crescent Washing Machine Company, and soon restaurants and hotels became interested. In 1893, Cochrane presented her machine at the Chicago World’s Fair, where she won an award for its design and durability.

Initially, the machines sold well to businesses but not to individual consumers. Some homemakers admitted that they enjoyed washing dishes by hand, and the machines reported left a soapy residue on the dishes. They also demanded a great deal of hot water, and many homes did not have hot water heaters large enough to supply the machine sufficiently. The machines’ popularity skyrocketed in the 1950s, when technology, womens’ attitudes toward housework, and dishwashing detergent, changed in the dishwasher’s favor. Today, the dishwasher is a part of the typical American household.

Cochrane's company eventually became KitchenAid, part of the Whirlpool Corporation. She died in 1913 at the age of 74.

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Date of death:

She was born into the family of engineer John Garis and Irene Fitch Garis. Granddaughter of the inventor of the first American steamship, John Fitch. Wife of merchant and Democratic Party politician William Cochrane.

Passage characterizing Cochrane, Josephine

People ran away in horror, not making out the road, not understanding where their unruly feet were taking them. As if blind, they bumped into each other, darting in different directions, and again they stumbled and fell, not paying attention to their surroundings... Screams rang out everywhere. Crying and confusion engulfed Bald Mountain and the people watching the execution there, as if only now they were allowed to see clearly - to truly see what they had done...
Magdalena stood up. And again a wild, inhuman scream pierced the tired Earth. Drowning in the roar of thunder, the cry snaked around like evil lightning, frightening frozen souls... Having freed the Ancient Magic, Magdalene called on the old Gods for help... She called on the Great Ancestors.
The wind ruffled her wondrous golden hair in the darkness, surrounding her fragile body with a halo of Light. Terrible bloody tears, still flowing on her pale cheeks, made her completely unrecognizable... Something like a formidable Priestess...
Magdalene called... Wringing her hands behind her head, she called her Gods again and again. She called the Fathers who had just lost their wonderful Son... She couldn’t give up so easily... She wanted to bring Radomir back at any cost. Even if you are not destined to communicate with him. She wanted him to live... no matter what.

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