What's The Deal: A Brief History of Air Conditioning

By:: Eli Yudin

August 15, 2021

What's The Deal: A Brief History of Air Conditioning

For this week's What's The Deal, let's take a look at the world's most effective anti-perspirant: air conditioning.

10

WHAT'S THE DEAL: HISTORY OF A/C A Brief History of A/C CRACKED.CO COM Given that it's currently August, you're likely reading this very article while enjoying A/C. Americans love A/C so much it's 48% of their energy usage every year. But let's take a look into the sweaty, sweaty past to appreciate it just a little more. — Source: EIA

9

WHAT'S THE DEAL: HISTORY OF A/C Era Of No Conditioning CRACKEDG COM So when did we take the first step towards sweet, cold salvation? In 1748, william Cullen pioneered the act of refrigeration by evaporating liquids in a vacuum. Sadly, this was a long way from something you could point down your shorts. — Source: Smithsonian

8

WHAT'S THE DEAL: HISTORY OF A/C Doctor Freeze CRACKED.co COM Next to tackle temperature was Dr. John Gorrie. Around 1840, he developed the first indoor cooling technology to aid uncomfortable hospital patients. It required ice to be shipped south from colder climates, though, so... not exactly breezy. — Source: Energy.gov

7

WHAT'S THE DEAL: HISTORY OF A/C Ice Blocked CRACKED.CO Gorrie then developed a compressor that could cool air through steam or even horse power. It never caught on, unfortunately, partly due to lobbying by the icemakers who didn't want their flow of cold hard cash to dry up. That's what he gets for taking on Big Ice! — Source: Smithsonian

6

WHAT'S THE DEAL: HISTORY OF A/C lcy Reception CRACKED.C .COM Another problem Gorrie probably didn't anticipate? People considered his creation to be changing the weather, and with it... defying god. Just part of the USA's long history of a normal, functional relationship with religion. — Source: Smithsonian

5

WHAT'S THE DEAL: HISTORY OF A/C Man Vs. Moist SEELEN STHTATZ Siever CRACKED.co COM After Americans gave Gorrie's invention the cold shoulder, it would be a while before the next development. And that next step wasn't about the heat, but the humidity. A printer was fed up with books ruined by moisture, and hired someone to fix it. — Source: Energy.gov

4

WHAT'S THE DEAL: HISTORY OF A/C Chilly Willis CRACKED.co COM That man was Willis Carrier. He built a system that circulated air over a series of steam coils filled with cold water. Not only did this fix their humidity problem, but the workers at the press were big fans as well, unaware they were experiencing very early A/C. — Source: Smithsonian

3

WHAT'S THE DEAL: HISTORY OF A/C The World's Air CRACKED CO CON Carrier saw the potential and continued to refine his system. The first public mass exhibition of the technology was at the 1904 World's Fair. Which was also where many people experienced their first hamburger. Big day for the USA. — Source: Energy.gov

2

WHAT'S THE DEAL: HISTORY OF A/C A Cool Feature COKETA TICKET TICKET t MACO TAG & LABEL TICKE KEEP THIS 817200 COUPON MACO KEE LINCOTAGE CRACKED.co COM The technology was, of course, still limited. It wouldn't go into nationwide use until the 1920s, when it would premiere in a location still known for aggressive A/C: movie theaters. This iteration of Carrier's creation is even on display at the Smithsonian. — Source: Smithsonian

1

WHAT'S THE DEAL: HISTORY OF A/C 2021 A.C. CRACKED CON From here, as technology tends to do, it continued to get cheaper and smaller. Reaching a more convenient price, and window-mountable size, A/Cs entered widespread use by 1950. Today, it's estimated 87% of households have A/C installed. — Source: EIA

Scroll down for more content

Recommended For Your Pleasure

5 Slapstick Ways Scientists Figured Out How the Natural World Works

Sometimes, you just like dressing frogs in little costumes

Authors: By Ryan Menezes
Published: March 25, 2023
Comments: 1

The Four Best — and Most Brutal — Songs From ‘Metalocalypse’

Adult Swim may have murdered the ‘Metalocalypse’ TV series, but death metal never dies

Authors: By Keegan Kelly
Published: March 25, 2023
Comments: 1

The Most Vicious Celebrity Roasts Never Televised

It’s bad when Bobcat Goldthwait tells you to throttle it back

Authors: By Matt Solomon
Published: March 25, 2023
Comments: 4

14 Bits Of Trivia That Blasted Our Thalami Like It Was Leg Day For The Brain

Anyone who has tasted the sweet nectar of Baja Blast knows it’s worth coming out of a coma for.

Authors: By Reba C, Andres Diplotti
Published: March 24, 2023
Comments: 9

15 Nibbles of Trivia That Landed in Our Paths This Week

Here’s the story of the worst way anyone ever woke up

Authors: By Ryan Menezes
Published: March 25, 2023
Comments: 1

14 of the Funniest (and Dumbest) Running Gags in Sitcom History

Some of these runners just stumbled at the finish line.

Authors: By Jay L'Ecuyer, JhallComics
Published: March 25, 2023
Comments: 6