Josephine Cochrane

The dishwasher. Earlier washing machines for dishes splashed water about without cleaning much. Cochrane, an Illinois hostess tired of chipped china, designed wire racks shaped to hold each plate, cup and saucer while hot soapy water was pumped over them, and patented it in 1886. She founded a company to make them, selling first to hotels and restaurants, and its line eventually became part of KitchenAid.