A dishwasher is a machine that automatically cleans dishware, cookware and cutlery by spraying them with hot water and detergent from rotating sprayers before rinsing and drying them. The American inventor Joel Houghton patented an unreliable hand-cranked wooden dishwashing device in 1850, but the first commercially successful dishwasher was invented in 1886 by Josephine Cochrane, a wealthy Illinois socialite, together with the mechanic George Butters, after Cochrane grew frustrated with servants chipping her fine china during washing; her machine was exhibited at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago and laid the groundwork for the dishwasher's development into a common household appliance by the 1970s.
Facts
Patent or First-Use DateSourced to the subject's own account YearSourced to the subject's own accountAn earlier, commercially unsuccessful mechanical dishwashing device was patented in 1850 by Joel Houghton; Cochrane's 1886 device is credited as the first successful hand-powered dishwasher, unveiled at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago. SignificanceSourced to the subject's own accountAutomated the washing of dishware, reducing domestic labor and becoming, after the postwar boom of the 1950s, one of the most widely adopted household appliances in the developed world. 1 FAQs
Did Josephine Cochrane invent the first dishwasher?
No. Joel Houghton patented a hand-cranked one in 1850, but Cochrane's 1886 machine was the most successful hand-powered design.
No. The first mechanical dishwashing device was registered for a patent in 1850 in the United States by Joel Houghton. It was made of wood and cranked by hand, and it was slow and unreliable. Another patent went to L.A. Alexander in 1865. Neither device was practical or widely accepted. Cochrane, together with the mechanic George Butters, invented the most successful of the hand-powered dishwashers in 1886, and it was unveiled at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago.
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In Field
Source Dishwasher (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. Dishwasher (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHistory section, paragraph on Cochrane, Wikipedia article Dishwasher
The most successful of the hand-powered dishwashers was invented in 1886 by Josephine Cochrane together with mechanic George Butters in Cochrane's tool shed in Shelbyville, Illinois when Cochrane (a wealthy socialite) wanted to protect her china while it was being washed.
opening definition sentence, Wikipedia article Dishwasher
A dishwasher is a machine that is used to clean dishware, cookware, and cutlery automatically.
History section, opening sentence, Wikipedia article Dishwasher
The first mechanical dishwashing device was registered for a patent in 1850 in the United States by Joel Houghton.
In Field: Electrical Engineering, Introduction
Once the wash is finished, the water is drained; more hot water enters the tub by means of an electromechanical solenoid valve, and the rinse cycle(s) begin.
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