Faced with the universal burden of doing dishes, Josephine Cochrane proclaimed, “If nobody else is going to invent a dishwashing machine, I'll do it myself."


This was back in 1886. She lived in a mansion in Illinois and loved hosting fancy parties. After the servants broke yet another expensive china saucer she decided to take matters into her own hands, inventing a machine that could do the job faster and more effectively.

She started out measuring the dishes and then built wire compartments, each specifically designed to fit 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.

After building a “Cochrane Dishwasher” for all her eternally grateful friends, hotels and restaurants started putting in orders.

At the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair she walked away with the highest award and worldwide acclaim.

We thank her from the bottom of our hearts for making mom smile every night…