The History of Air Conditioning
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- Опубліковано 23 лип 2024
- What is the best part of summer? Is it enjoying the outdoors while sitting on a boat, is it eating an ice cold snow cone, or is it just taking in the nice warm rays? While being outside during the summer is absolutely wonderful, we would argue that the best part of summer is actually when you head back into a nice, cool air conditioned home. But in the not too distant past, not everyone had the ability to enjoy an air conditioned home. So, just when did air conditioning come around?
The idea of cooling yourself off on hot days is not a new concept. During ancient times many wealthy people used man powered fans, and came up with other primitive ways to keep themselves cool. However, none of these methods were long withstanding, so lets fast forward until 1758.
This is when great American inventor Benjamin Franklin, alongside John Hadley, made the discovery that when liquid evaporates from a surface, it creates a cooling effect. This effect is still the basis of how modern air conditioners are running today.
From here we move right along to 1851 when John Gorrie, a physician from Florida, created an ice machine that used compression to create ice. Air would then be blown over the ice's surface to create a cooling effect. Gorrie created his machine in an attempt to cool patients, so diseases could be prevented. The air conditioner may have taken off right then, but unfortunately his financial backer died, so he lost funding for his project. What could have been...
Next we find ourselves in 1881 and President Garfield had just been shot. In order to keep him comfortable a device was created that blew air over wet cloth. While the invention was able to lower the temperature in the room by 20 degrees, it could not save President Garfield, who died two months after being shot.
Fast forward to 1902. Willis Carrier created the very first electrical air conditioner for his publishing company in an effort to control humidity to prevent paper from wrinkling. Carrier's air conditioner blew air over cold coils to cool the air temperature. He quickly realized the value of his machine and later went on to create Carrier Air Conditioning Company of America.
Now we move on to 1914 when the term “air conditioning” becomes coined by Stuart W. Cramer. Cramer created a ventilating device that adds moisture into the air in his textile mill and called it “air conditioning,” which Willis Carrier borrowed when he named is company.
During the same year, air conditioning was added into a home for the first time. It was installed at a mansion in Minneapolis belonging to Charles Gates. The unit was massive coming in at 7 foot tall, 6 feet wide, and 20 feet tall. Interestingly, there is actually a chance the unit was never used because no one ever lived at the residence.
By 1931 the first window unit was created by H.H. Schultz and J.Q. Sherman. They became commercially available just one year later, but came with an extreme price tag. They cost anywhere between $10,000-$50,000, which adjusted for inflation would be between $120,000-$600,000.
Next, in 1939 Packard rolled out air conditioning in cars (see what I did there). However, in order to use the vehicles air conditioner, its engine needed to be stopped, and the owner had to disconnect a compressor belt once they had cooled down.
In the 1953, due to the post-war economic boom, over one million units were sold to homeowners, and by 1965 10% of homes had air conditioners in them.
In the 1970's central air came around and helped to cool homes much more efficiently by utilizing condensers, coils, fans, and duct work.
Finally, by 2015 the Energy Information Administration reported that 87% of U.S. households are using air conditioners.
While it is impossible to predict what the future of air conditioning will hold, units are continuing to use safer coolants and are become increasingly more energy efficient. For now, it is just nice to know that when you walk inside after a hot summer day, you can guarantee that your home will be nice and cool.
Oh do I remember that Sear's A/C commercial on so many channels as a kid. Thanks for the throwback! 😋
Me too!
Omg I remember that Sears commercial 😂
Man I miss Sears so much.
Me: “who invented the air conditioner?”
This dude: “in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”
Lol
Do you a few minutes so I can discuss Jesus Christ
I really wouldn’t know what I’d do if I lived in an era with no AC, my gosh 😭🤚🏼
Haha right I think I'd just lay down and die. No joking
Would do the same...
migrate kill cows and pray
Just live next to some water and you good
Harsh reality for us Europeans!
4:54 I remember this commercial! Every part of it.
Uhh yes air conditioning...my favorite thing in the whole world other then the car.
Car with air conditioning
Very well structured well presented video with great speaking
4:54-5:19 i remember that commercial, i'm old asf
Haha yeah for sure
Another scorcher....Cool! Lol. I remember that Sears Roebuck commercial
holy shit lmao I remember that SEARS commercial. Feel old now.
A housing development in an affluent part of northeast Philadelphia called Pine Valley advertised central air in 1963. And some luxury homes had it in the 1950s, maybe earlier. My mother’s rich relatives may have had it in their house built in 1940- not sure, but they did have a yellow Kitchenaid dishwasher. Lots of innovations are older than we think, they just took time to catch on (and come down in price).
I remember when that Kenmore AC ad ran on TV. AC is mandatory but only the mini-splits and packaged air is the quietest.
Great video. Very informative.
Ive used the same ac for 15 years, works great
Lol
@8ball181 - had mine for 16yrs. finally went out..Heil
They dont make em like they used to
Finally had to scrap a 1977 Ford-Philco due to a motor that had no replacement. 12000 btu and it must have weighed 75 lbs.
No, they don't build them like they used to.
Great video! Now time to turn the AC on!
This was a very informative video. I used it to write a speech. Definitely would recommend
Thank you to all these wonderful scientists! Without them I could never survive living in Israel!
i though willis carriers machine cooled air with water and the added dry air from hot coils to keep a constant humidity
some say that John Gorrie is not only the grandfather of air conditioning, but refrigeration as well!
That 90s commercial brought back tons of memories 🤯
Although Willis Carrier is largely credited with inventing the modern air conditioner, Frederick Jones, an African-American, invented the first portable air conditioning unit.
I came to the comments to see if they gave this brother his credit. We People in Minnesota wouldn't know what a fresh banana tasted like if it wasn't for him.
source
He was even more important than you make it sound. It wasn’t for air conditioning applications that Jones made his innovations, it was instead for medical and commercial cooling. His portable units were used to refrigerate blood, organs and food in transit, and made a serious impact on healthcare and food distribution. He later became one of the founders of Thermos King (I think that’s the name), makers of popular insulated food and beverage containers.
I guess his Irish heritage is not relevant…
What’s the African American part have to do with anything though?
Carrier is the oldest air conditioner brand that exist today
He should of gotten a Nobel peace prize for AC lol
this was a good video
very cool
GoodMorningLoves ❤❤❤LoveChick ❤🎉❤🎉❤🎉
l live in Houston Texas where it's hot and humid half the year. lf there was no A/C, l'd move up north.
My mom grew up without AC living in the Rio Grande. I don't know how you would be able to live with High humidity and a temp of 100
Dude it is gnarly out here right now, my AC is having problems and it’s killing me. AC is hands down one of the greatest things ever invented.
As a kid, we did not have any type of air conditioner just noisy fans that blew around hot air. Air Conditioning is one of the greatest inventions of all time something taken for granted by many but not me!
What do you mean by as a kid weren't you born in this era ?
I wonder how many people bought the 50k dollar window unit back in the day lmao
Some rich people and the family put together with their money and lived on together with ease.
THATS WHAT IM TALKING ABOUT USA! USA!
Nothing about Frederick Jones?
His work was refrigation. Still, extremely important for transporting everything from fresh produce to medical goods.
nothing is good about summer
shut up
Bikinis and cool beer...are you dumb?
Exactly. I hate summer, I wish there was a permanent winter. I love my air conditioning.
TODAY: Almost every houses has air conditioning and we all are spending every single night at an air conditioned bedrooms!
FUTURE: 24/7 Air conditioning!!!
Central Air Conditioning AND window air conditioners were a fad and everyone wanted to keep up with the 'Joneses'. The fad should have been derailed in the 1960's.
Instead, better ventilation systems, with occasional use of water evaporative coolers ('swamp' coolers) should have been commercially promoted. It is the extensive use of the refrigeration of air (condenser/evaprator/refrigerant) that throws EXTRA HEAT into the atmosphere, making the atmosphere hotter than before, and is a definite contributor to global warming. If the FAD of refrigerated air never became widely adopted, we wouldn't have the vicious cycle of needing even more and MORE HVAC because MORE people are throwing more heat into the regional atmosphere.
How about Fredrick Jones ???
What about him? Many people have come up with different applications for the use of refrigeration
Putangina ang init sa Pilipinas.
God bless white people (uncle ruckus voice)