Washing Dishes When your kitchen becomes cluttered with dirty dishes you might do what millions of others do load up the dishwasher turn a dial or press a button and sit back while the machine does the work Over 100 years ago there were no dishwashers to make life easier It wasn’t until Josephine Cochran became so frustrated with finding chipped hand-washed dishes that she decided to invent a machine to wash them instead Josephine Cochran created a company called Garis-Cochran Manufacturing Company to build her dishwashers Her company later became part of KitchenAid 4 In 1949 KitchenAid introduced the first dishwasher to the public which was based on Josephine Cochran’s design
Inventions and Innovations An invention is a product or process that is the first creation of its kind Josephine Cochran’s original dishwasher is an invention An innovation is a change or improvement to an existing invention The dishwasher now used in many homes is an innovation because it has modern features that improved upon Josephine Cochran’s invention Inventors and innovators solve a problem or meet a need They have made life easier and more enjoyable for us with everyday products gadgets and materials Perhaps the stories in this book will inspire you to be a problem solver too The next great invention could be yours Thanks to Josephine Cochran’s invention many people now have dishwashers in their homes 5
Zapped Today more kitchens have microwave ovens than dishwashers We place cold food inside a microwave press a few buttons and then enjoy hot and steamy food a few minutes later For this amazing time saver we have to thank its inventor British engineer Percy L Spencer Engineers use science and math to solve problems or meet needs Sometimes engineers can also be inventors and innovators when they make new solutions or improve on existing ones Inventors innovators and engineers all share the same traits such as curiosity and creativity 6 The first microwave ovens were called radar ranges They were about the size of a refrigerator and very expensive
How did it happen Spencer’s invention of the microwave oven was discovered by accident In 1946 while at work he reached into his pocket for a chocolate bar but found it was a soft gooey mess What caused the chocolate to melt He soon discovered it was the microwaves given off by the machine he was standing beside that melted his chocolate bar Microwaves are short waves of energy Spencer decided to see whether the microwaves could heat other food He held a bag of popcorn kernels next to the machine Within minutes the kernels popped It wasn’t until 1967 after years of innovation that the first countertop model went on sale Now countertop microwaves are found in most homes 7
