Archive Gallery: Kitchens of the Incredible 1950s Future

Prior to the 1950's, dishwashers were found mostly in hotels or large restaurants. The public only really caught on after the use of electrical power became more commonplace, and after William Howard Livens invented a dishwasher small enough for the home in 1937. In 1950, Jerry La Raus developed a dishwasher not only priced at an affordable $169.50, but equipped with hydraulic, rotating jets that could clean the front and backs of dishes. At the time, most household dishwashers only sprayed dishes from the bottom up, which meant that housewives had to wash the dirtier, crustier plates all over again. In anticipation for how La Raus' improved dishwasher would not only saved time, but would save frustrated couples from a few after-dinner fights, we wrote: "Let this be the story of the husband who got fed up with helping the wife do the dishes--or listening to her talk about the husbands who helped."

Read the full story in "Simplified Dishwasher Solves Husbands' Problems"