Too Hot To Handle: The History of Air Conditioning

As the summer months come upon us, sometimes we take for granted that with the simple flip of a switch, we are able to fill our homes with frigid air to the point of making us actually shiver; even on the hottest of summer days. Rarely do we even dare think about what our ancestors had to deal with before the days of air conditioning. From the very first fans invented over 3,000 years ago in China to Romans using cooled water aqueducts and even importing snow from the mountains on the backs of donkeys to keep cool in the summer time, staying cool has always been an obstacle of man to overcome. It wasn't till Willis Carrier's invention of a device to reduce humidity for printing factories in the early 1900s did we have an semblance of the modern day air conditioner. The device was later updated into what is now the modern day air conditioner, but even then, only the wealthiest of individuals could afford their cool air. As some of the only air conditioners were installed in movie theaters, the tradition of going to the movies to beat the heat of a midsummer's day was started and continues on to now. The next time you turn on that air conditioner to enjoy a burst of cool air, think about what people had to go through in the summer time just to keep cool. For more info on the history of the air conditioning, check out this article from Slate. To make sure you have an escape from those hot and humid days, check in with the experts at A Best Air to keep to your HVAC system running smoothly all summer long.