#030 - The Mechanical Dishwasher

Inventing America

Inventing America – Season 4, Episode 5 Josephine Cochrane – The Mechanical Dishwasher Episode Summary Progress often begins with a broken plate. In the Gilded Age, where servants handled endless chores and fragile china was easily chipped, one Illinois widow decided to build a better way. This episode explores the story of Josephine Cochrane, who in 1886 patented the first practical mechanical dishwasher. With copper boilers, wire racks, and motor-driven water pressure, she created a system that outperformed human hands. From her garden shed to the halls of the World’s Columbian Exposition, Cochrane’s invention redefined domestic labor and paved the way for the modern kitchen. What You’ll Learn • Why dishwashing in the 19th century was costly, labor-intensive, and inefficient • How Cochrane’s design used copper, wire racks, and pressurized water to protect fragile china • How her invention improved on earlier, less effective dishwashing machines • Why she marketed first to hotels, restaurants, and hospitals rather than homes • How her company evolved into KitchenAid, making dishwashers a household staple Inventor Spotlight Josephine Cochrane (1839–1913) • Born in Ohio, later settled in Shelbyville, Illinois • Socialite turned inventor after the death of her husband in 1883 • Patented the first practical mechanical dishwasher in 1886 (U.S. Patent No. 355,139) • Founded the Crescent Washing Machine Company to manufacture her designs • Exhibited her dishwasher at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago • Her company eventually became part of KitchenAid, transforming kitchens worldwide Resources & References 1. U.S. Patent No. 355,139 – “Dish-Washing Machine” (Josephine Cochrane, 1886) https://patents.google.com/patent/US355139A 2. Smithsonian Magazine – The Woman Who Invented the Dishwasher https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/the-woman-who-invented-the-dishwasher-180981597 3. Illinois Heritage – Josephine Cochrane’s Invention https://www.lib.niu.edu/2002/ih120602.html 4. KitchenAid – Company History https://www.kitchenaid.com/promo/about-us 5. World’s Columbian Exposition Records (1893) – Chicago Historical Society Archive https://digital.chipublib.org/digital/collection/expo1893