Josephine Cochrane
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Child hood and Birth
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Josephine Cochrane was born march 8th, 1839 in Ashtabula County Ohio. Her father , John Garvis
was a Civil Engineer and her mothers , Irene Fitch Garvis, Father was an inventor, his most famous was the steam boat. She grew up in Valparaiso, Indiana and attended a private school. Her mother Irene died and her sister had left home so Josephine just lived with her father.
Later life
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Later in life she then moved to Illinois with one of her sisters. There is were she met her husband William Cochran who she married in 1858 at age 27. He participated in the California gold rush and later became a merchant. Josephine and William had two children a son and daughter. The son dies after two years of age. In the 1870s the family moved into a bigger house and had servants doing there dishes, Josephine would notice that the servants would easily chip the dishes while hand washing them, She started washing her own china and this is when she was inspired to find an alternative way of washing dishes.
Invention
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Hard at work trying to complete her invention, her husband got very sick and passed away in 1883.When her husband passed he left her with a huge amount of debt. Josephine outlook on the dishwasher change from just a hobby to a way to provide for herself. In 1886 she designed the first model of her dishwasher. Her model of the dishwasher consisted of wire framing to hold the dishes and a motor that pumped water and soap through out. Thisis one the first of its kind to use water pressure to clean the dishes. She finally received a patent on December 28th, 1886. The first people to show real interest in her new invention were hotels and restaurants. Josephine later founded her own company that manufacture her dishwashing machines , which we know today as KitchenAid. Dishwashers did not catch the eye of the general public until the 1950s.
Death and Legacy
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Josephine Cochrane died at the age of 74, August 3rd 1913. She has been remembered as a feminist and entrepreneur. Her invention has changed the lives of women and men all around the world.
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