| I'm writing this article from my home in sunny | | | | other liquids and cool the thermometer well below |
| Arizona. It's the middle of April, and we're supposed | | | | the freezing point of water, despite the warm |
| to hit 90 degrees this weekend. Some years, we've | | | | temperature of the room they were in. |
| already hit 100 by this point in spring. Summer | | | | Approximately 50 years later, Frederic Tudor of |
| temperatures surpass 120 degrees Fahrenheit, which | | | | Boston, began harvesting ice from frozen lakes in the |
| melts my brain just thinking about it. | | | | winter. He eventually developed an insulated ice box |
| One would think that with temperatures that high, | | | | for customers to store their ice in, and established a |
| being a year-round resident would be impossible for | | | | profitable world-wide trade business, earning the |
| anyone that isn't a cactus. But as long as you have a | | | | nickname of Ice King. While ice was used mainly at |
| good air conditioning unit that doesn't need any | | | | that time to cool food, in the 1840's, US Physician |
| repair, living in the desert, or any other hot climate, is | | | | and scientist John Gorrie, used ice to cool down |
| definitely manageable. | | | | ambient temperature as well. He suspended blocks of |
| The concept of air conditioning is nothing new. The | | | | ice from the ceiling in a basin, and since heat rises and |
| basic premise uses evaporation as a means of cooling | | | | cold air sinks, the cooler air then settled down to |
| air. In ancient Rome, wealthy individuals ran aqueducts | | | | where the patient sickbeds were. |
| through the walls of their homes to cool down the air | | | | Then in 1902, the first modern electrical air |
| inside. Giant fans were used in ancient China to | | | | conditioner was invented in Buffalo, NY by Willis |
| circulate and cool down air, and in the medieval Middle | | | | Carrier. This machine differed from other air |
| East, the concept of rotating air was added to water | | | | conditioners of the past in that it controlled not only |
| for increased effect. Fans and other wind sources | | | | temperature, but humidity levels as well. From |
| were directed over indoor pools of water. This | | | | window units to central air conditioning systems, |
| caused the surface water to evaporate, and pushed | | | | swamp coolers to whole house fans, over a hundred |
| that cooler air from the evaporation on through the | | | | years later, we still use a variety of machines to |
| building. | | | | change the temperature and humidity of our air. And |
| A major step toward our modern air conditioning was | | | | as spring gets hot, it's a good idea to contact your |
| discovered by Ben Franklin and John Hadley in 1758. | | | | local HVAC contractor to make sure whatever |
| They experimented with the evaporation of not just | | | | machine you have will keep you cool in the summer |
| water, but other liquids, including highly volatile ones | | | | so you can survive, and even thrive, in whatever |
| such as ether and alcohol. Using a mercury bulb | | | | temperature or climate you choose to live in. |
| thermometer, they were able to evaporate these | | | | |