Breckinridge County KyArchives History .....Air Conditioning 
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Dana Brown http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00005.html#0001067 September 19, 2006, 9:10 pm

Book Title: A Glimpse Of The Past


How did we ever get along without air conditioning?

Some of us are old enough to remember the days when there was no cool place to 
go other than to the nearest pond or creek for a swim.

The history of air conditioning didn't begin until 1902 when Willis H. Carrier 
started thinking about the idea.  He realized that the temperature of the air 
could be cooled by water.

Carrier wasted no time in putting his theories to the test.  He built a model 
and installed it in a printing plant in Brooklyn.  It worked and with just a 
few modifications, the principle of air condition remains essentially the same 
today.  Units have grown cheaper, smaller and more efficient over the years.  
There was immediate demand for the air conditioner.

It wasn't until after World War I that pulick places began to install air 
conditioning for the comfort of their customers.  The first air conditioned 
department store was in Detroit in 1924.

During hot summers, movie houses and theaters usually shut down.  In August, 
1925, New Yorks' Rivoli Theater opened its doors, promising the ultimate in air 
conditioning.  Air conditioning became the talk of Broadway overnight.

After World War II some of the textile factories started installing air 
conditioning in factories, offices, hospitals, trains, theaters and stores.

Home air conditioning had been available as early as the 1930s.  But the units 
were big and clumsy and the price was high.  The smaller units and lower prices 
came about in the 1950's.  The smaller units could fit into a window or stand 
in a corner of the floor.

Today, America is air-conditioned.  Most cars, homes and businesses of all kind 
are now cool.

Carrier's magic box has surely made a difference in the world.










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