Josephine Cochrane was motivated to invent the dishwasher after growing frustrated with her expensive china breaking while being washed by hand. In 1886, she designed and built the first practical dishwasher, which used water pressure to clean dishes more efficiently than hand washing.
Cochrane’s invention was initially marketed towards commercial establishments but later became popular among households. She founded the Garis-Cochran Dish-Washing Machine Company to manufacture and sell her invention, which eventually became the KitchenAid brand. Cochrane’s dishwasher revolutionized the way people cleaned their dishes and paved the way for further advancements in home appliances.