History of Dishwasher
The history of dishwasher is not difficult to understand, though it is quite humorous when you think about it. This is one invention that certainly arose out of necessity.
Before the days of the dishwasher, people had to wash their dishes by hand. Those that could not afford servants often picked up their own soap and rags carefully washing their fine dishes. Those that could afford a servant or two never washed their own plates, and servants were often hurried as they had other tasks to do. So, the servant that was in charge of washing would scrub away, though they often chipped lots of fine china. Tired of eating off of chipped plates, an heiress by the name of Josephine Cochrane created the first dishwasher. This is where the history of dishwasher really began to take shape.
Since Josephine was the granddaughter of the man that created the steamboat, she had little else to do with her days than to work on inventions with the help of a few hands. As soon as she created the first dishwasher, she promptly named it the “Josephine Cochrane” and revealed it at the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago. Many people that worked in an industrial setting immediately saw the appeal of the machine, and it sold quite well. However, this machine was not really meant for private home usage.
Around the 1920s, the first dishwasher that was perfect for home use was invented. This machine did everything that modern machines do today. In fact, it even looked a lot like modern machines do. The only thing it was lacking was an electric drying system. Around the 1970s, an electric drying system was created, placed inside of the machine, and the rest is, well, history. Today, nearly every household has a dishwasher for personal or hired help, use. As you can see, the history of dishwasher is rather interesting. Though it all began with an heiress and a few chipped plates, today’s machines are staples within the American household.
How often do you use your dishwasher? Do you put your fine china inside of it? Even though Josephine wanted a machine that could wash her china, hardly anyone would place a fine plate inside of a dishwasher today (sorry Josephine!), though nearly everything else is usually placed in it with no trouble.
After the Seventies, the history of dishwasher slowed down quite a bit. Though some machines are more complex than others, most of them do the same thing that they ever did…wash those dishes.