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Willis Haviland Carrier was the brains behind the modern concept of air conditioning but before his
invention became a reality, many came forward with the idea of a machine that served the purpose of
cooling, though changes in the design were tinkered differently to Carriers design. So we can mark
the anniversary of Carriers fantastic invention, were going to take a brief look back at the long story
and history of air conditioning.
1758: Benjamin Franklin and Cambridge University professor John Hadley discovered that the
evaporation of alcohol and other liquids evaporate faster than water and in turn they can cool down
1820: It was a case of d ja vu for inventor Michael Faraday who made the same discovery as Franklin
and Hadley some 62 years later in England. This was achieved through the compression and liquidity
of ammonia.
1830s: Dr. John Gorrie makes a huge breakthrough in the case of air conditioning but it comes to no
avail. Whilst working at a Florida hospital, Dr. Gorrie created an ice-making machine that uses the
compression to make buckets of ice, then blowing air over them. He patented the idea in 1851, with
the dream of cooling buildings throughout the world. Lack in financial backing was to blame for the
failure of his invention and the world would have to wait much, much longer for A/C.
1881: President James Garfield is shot by an assassin on July 2 in 1881, so naval engineers built a
makeshift cooling unit in order to keep him cool and comfortable simultaneously. The device is a
simple design, with water-soaked cloth filling the inside whilst a fan blows hot air overhead, keeping
cool air much closer to the ground. The good news behind the project is that the device can achieve
lower room temperatures of up to 20F, but unfortunately President Garfield still dies. Oh and the
machine used a massive half-million pounds of ice in just TWO months.
1902: Willis Carrier invented the Apparatus for Treating Air at a time where he was working for the
Sackett-Wilhelms Litographing and Publishing company in New York. The machine is designed to blow
air over cold coils, which can control both room temperature and humidity. The device keeps paper
from wrinkling as well as aligning the ink where its supposed to be. After discovering that other
factories want to use the cooling technology, Carrier establishes the Carrier Air Conditioning Company
of America.
1906: Stuart Cramer creates a ventilating device that gives the ability to add water vapour to the air in
textile factories. The humidity makes yarn easier to spin and reduces the chance of breakages.
1914: Air conditioning came to the home for the first time in history. The unit is installed in
Minneapolis, inside the mansion of Charles Gates. The air conditioning unit is approximately 7 feet
high, 6 feet wide and 20 feet long. Its a great possibility that the unit went unused because no one
actually ever lived inside the house.
1931: H.H. Schultz and J.Q. Sherman are responsible for inventing an individual room air conditioner
which sits on your window ledge. This design is common place in apartment buildings ever since. The
units are available for purchase and are purchased by those who are least likely to experience a
hectic, sweaty life the rich. A large cooling system would cost between $10,000-$50,000, which is
equivalent to $120,000 to $600,000 in todays money!
1939: Packard invents the first air-conditioned car, which allows a relaxing ride for those inside.
Dashboard controls for the onboard A/C would come later. For now, given the passenger would get
chilly, the driver would have to stop the engine, open the hood and disconnect a compressor belt.
1942: The US builds its first power plant, named a summer peaking plant. Its built to handle the ever
growing electrical load that air conditioning demands.
1950s: After World War II, the economic boom finally happens as residential air conditioning becomes
available to many. Over 1 million units are sold in 1953 alone.
1970s: The window units of air conditioning lose points as central air comes along. The units consist
of a three main components: condenser, coils and a fan. Air gets drawn in, passed over the coils and
then blasted through the ventilation system.
So, what do you think of our look into the history of air conditioning?
When installing air conditioning into a residential house or into small business offices there are a few
things that should be looked into, we've stated here some of the top benefits you can take into
consideration.
Energy bills account for heating and air conditioning, as well as ventilation
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