Josephine garis cochran dishwasher
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Josephine Garis Cochran
Josephine Cochran invented the first practical dishwasher and formed the Garis-Cochran Dish-Washing Co. to manufacture and market it.
Cochran was born in Ohio. After moving to Illinois, Cochran set out to design a washing device after commonly finding plateware chipped from hand washing. She designed a set of wire compartments, each created to fit plates, cups or saucers. The compartments were placed inside a wheel that lay flat inside a copper boiler, while a motor turned the wheel, pumping hot soapy water from the bottom of the boiler. The machine was showcased in the World Columbian Exposition of 1893, helping to establish a market for the dishwasher in hotels and large restaurants.
Since most homes' hot water heaters could not supply the amount of hot water the dishwasher required, the machine's large size limited the company's sales. It was not until the 1950s that increased availability of hot water in the home, effective dishwashing detergent and
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Josephine Cochrane
Josephine Cochrane, inventor of the first commercially successful dishwashing machine, was born in Ashtabula County, Ohio 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 set out to create the dishwasher after realizing her fine china would often chip when being scrubbed 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,
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“If you want something done right, do it yourself.” These were words Josephine Garis Cochrane lived bygd … except when it came to doing the dishes. Why had nobody invented a machine that could clean stacks of dirty dishes without chipping them? After all, it was the 19th century, when there were machines that sewed clothes and cut grass, so how hard could it be?
She would soon find out.
Born in Ohio in 1839, she was the daughter and great-granddaughter of an engineer and inventor. She came bygd her creative tendencies naturally despite having no formal education in science or engineering. So when faced with a problem, it was second nature for her to look for a technological solution. And if one didn’t exist, she would invent one.
Displeasing her In-laws
She was 19 and just out of high school when she married William Cochran. In an era when women had one main role in life — marrying well and taking part in their husbands’ interests and business, she made a djärv move to