Josephine Garis Cochrane (1839 – August 3, 1913) invented the first practical mechanical dishwasher in 1886, in Shelbyville, Illinois. Mrs. Cochrane was a rich woman who held many fancy dinner parties. She didn’t do any of the dishes herself because she had servants to do that for her, but she wanted a machine that could do the job faster without chipping as many dishes. No one had invented such a machine so she built one herself. She is said to have exclaimed, “If nobody else is going to invent a dishwashing machine, I’ll do it myself!” First she measured the dishes. Then she built wire compartments, each specially designed to fit either plates, cups, or saucers. The compartments were placed inside a wheel that lay flat inside a copper boiler. A motor turned the wheel while hot soapy water squirted up from the bottom of the boiler and rained down on the dishes. Her friends were really impressed and had her make dishwashing machines for them, calling them the “Cochrane Dishwasher.”

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Her friends talked a lot about their new machines and soon, Mrs. Cochrane was getting orders for her dishwashing machine from restaurants and hotels in Illinois. She patented her design and went into production. She showed her invention at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago and won the highest award.