History - Inventions and discoveries - Dishwashers - Kitchen appliances - United States - History of inventions
Which American inventor developed the first practical dishwasher?
Correct!
The American inventor Josephine Garis Cochrane developed the first practical dishwasher in the 19th century. The National Inventors Hall of Fame specifically credits her with this invention. Cochrane was annoyed that parts of her valuable dishes kept getting damaged when she washed them. Their machine held plates and other dishes in special wire racks while water was sprayed over them under pressure. Unlike many previous designs, it relied on water jets instead of brushes or scrubbers. On December 28, 1886, Josephine Garis Cochrane received U.S. Patent No. 355,139 for her “Dish-Washing Machine.” She later patented numerous improvements to her design. There had already been earlier dishwashers - for example, a corresponding design was patented as early as 1866. Cochrane's decisive achievement was therefore to develop a machine that could actually be successfully used in practice and marketed.
Josephine Garis Cochrane developed the first practical dishwasher.
