Chill Out with These Top 11 Surprising and Cool Fun Facts About Air Conditioning

1. Cinematic Coolness at the Rivoli

Before summer blockbusters were a thing, audiences had to chillax with some "cinematic coolness" at the riveting Rivoli: In 1925, Willis Carrier installed the first air conditioning unit in New York City's Times Square Rivoli Theater, allowing moviegoers to kick back and enjoy films in frosty comfort during sizzling summertime.
Source => lpm.org

2. Ben Franklin's Mad Barista Moments

Long before our wine-loving, bifocal-wearing beloved Benjamin Franklin was flying kites in thunderstorms, he was making thermometers shiver by blowing on liquids like a mad barista in a colonial cafe: In the 1750s, Franklin discovered the science of evaporative cooling by experimenting with alcohol and water, proving that alcohol cools faster due to its volatility and that blowing on liquids speeds up the evaporation process, laying the groundwork for modern air conditioning.
Source => lane.us

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=> Fun Facts about Vacuum-Cleaners

3. Willis "The Chill" Carrier's AC Debut

In a time before the icy breath of today's AC units made summer hibernation bearable, Willis "The Chill" Carrier was cookin' up something that would make the world a whole lot cooler: In 1906, he patented the "Apparatus for Treating Air," the first-ever spray-type air conditioning equipment which not only washed but also humidified or dehumidified the air, hitting the industrial scene at the Chronicle Cotton Mills in Belmont, North Carolina.
Source => williscarrier.com

4. Stuart Cramer's Cotton Mill Coolution

In a twist of historical fate that had him spinning more than cotton, Stuart Cramer, self-proclaimed "father of air conditioning," weaved his way into the fabric of modern life by melding his love for cotton mills with his knack for breathable air: This loom-roving inventor lent his engineering expertise to over 150 cotton mills across the South, equipping them with humidity control and ventilation systems – and he even coined the term "air conditioning" in a rousing 1906 speech, proving that coolness runs in his ductwork!
Source => ncdcr.gov

5. Packard's Ice, Ice Baby Trendsetter

In the early days of automotive cooling, one might say Packard was the original "Ice, Ice Baby" trendsetter: Their 1939 "Weather Conditioner" was the first air conditioning system offered directly by an automaker, costing $279, commandeering half the trunk, and requiring a second factory installation. Sales were brisk - or rather, they weren't - as controlling the temperature proved rather tricky, but now every car and their mother come armed with glorious AC as standard.
Source => yahoo.com

6. Ancient Egyptian Breezy Cribs

Before they built the pyramids or invented eyeliner, the Egyptians were busy creating swanky breezy indoor spaces worthy of a mention on "Cribs of the Nile": Ancient Egyptians designed a natural ventilation system using air shafts and vents, strategically placing them above doorways and at ground level to regulate indoor temperatures as an early form of air conditioning.
Source => reinerac.com

7. The Tadpole's Whopping Ancestor

Before refrigerators had tadpole-sized cousins called air conditioners, folks installed humungous air-chilling contraptions that could make a grand piano look like a modest dinner guest: The first residential air conditioning unit in 1914 measured over 7 feet high, 6 feet wide, and 20 feet long, with a hefty price tag of $10,000 to $50,000 (or $120,000 to $600,000 in today's money) - a luxury reserved for the era's deep-pocketed elite.
Source => laheatingairconditioning.com

8. Alfred Wolff's Cool Wolves on Wall Street

Before Wall Street was occupied by bulls and bears, its denizens were kept cool by a savvy pack of wolves – Alfred Wolff's cooling machines, to be precise: In a revolutionary move, the New York Stock Exchange became the first building in North America to have an air conditioning system, thanks to Wolff's innovative design: three ammonia-absorption machines with the combined cooling capability equivalent to 450 tons of ice. Traders could then focus on their stocks without breaking a sweat!
Source => nyse.com

9. Southdale's Sweater Weather Utopia

Before the era of being lost in the sauce of super-sized, climate-controlled shopping havens, there was a pioneer in the retail therapy world - a trailblazing mall that made sweater weather an indoor sport: Enter Southdale Shopping Center in Edina, Minnesota, which opened its doors in 1956 as America's first fully enclosed, temperature-controlled shopping mecca, with a whopping 72 stores and an ocean of free parking for up to 5,000 horseless carriages - a true utopia for suburban folks before it was cool!
Source => praythroughhistory.com

10. Ancient Chinese Steam-Blowing Innovators

Before "cool" was a part of everyone's vocabulary, the ancient Chinese were already blowing off some steam with the help of giant fans: In the 2nd century, inventor Ding Huan of the Han Dynasty created a rotary fan for air movement, and by the 6th century, scholar Fan Chuo penned the use of manually-operated fans to dispel heat from human skin – although there is no evidence that 2nd century Chinese emperors enjoyed air-conditioned luxury with water-driven, wheel-powered rotary fans.
Source => acs-installations.co.uk

11. Willis Carrier: Sweat-Free Movie Hero

As popcorn took flight and ticket sales soared, movie theaters found their unlikely hero in the man who made summers bearable: Willis Carrier, who not only eased your sweaty backside during those heat-inducing summer blockbusters but also revolutionized the manufacturing industry by introducing air conditioning. Seriously though: his invention allowed controlled temperature and humidity for production, turning WWII wartime supplies into precisely manufactured tools of the trade, as well as forever changing and improving our living conditions.
Source => carrier.com