Did You Know These True (and Truly Cool) AC Facts?
As summer marches on and temperatures keep rising, homeowners all across America are cranking up their air conditioners to get some relief from the heat. It's hard to beat the experience of coming inside on a sweltering day and feeling the rush of cool, refreshing air. And for those in particularly hot regions, air conditioning is nearly as necessary as water. So understandably, it isn't easy to imagine what life was like before AC. But funnily enough, those days weren't all that long ago.
In appreciation of air conditioning, here's a brief look at its history, from its invention to the ways it's helped shape American culture for the better.
Air Conditioning Has Its Own Holiday
July 17th has been designated National AC Day in America, in honor of the day the modern air conditioner was invented back in 1902. Of course, it's not a bank holiday, and there aren't typically any parades or fireworks, but it can still be plenty of fun. Most people like to use the day to give their air conditioners a little extra love and care.
For some, this means hiring a pro for maintenance and a general tune-up or an all-out duct cleaning and inspection. For others, it means replacing their old thermostat with a new "smart" thermostat or ditching their noisy window unit in favor of a quieter, more efficient ductless mini-split. Many like to do a little cleaning and maintenance of their own, like dusting off their intake vent or changing/cleaning the filter (if it's time). Another idea is to turn the AC down or off for a few hours to give it a break.
America Is the Birthplace of AC
An American engineer named Willis Carrier created the first modern electric air conditioner in 1902. While living in Buffalo, New York, Carrier designed this air conditioning machine to control indoor humidity for a Brooklyn publishing company's printing plant. Control humidity it did, but it also made the indoor air cooler as a result. Ironically, the humidity control aspect of today's air conditioners is now considered secondary to cooling power.
Carrier's design was revolutionary for the time, and he developed it further, pushing the envelope, laying out crucial engineering principles, and setting many of the standards still used in the HVAC field today. If the name sounds familiar, it's because the Carrier Corporation (which Willis founded in 1915) is now one of the world's biggest HVAC and home appliance manufacturers.
AC Helped Create the Concept of the Summer Blockbuster
The Metropolitan Theatre in Los Angeles and The Rivoli Theatre in Times Square were among the first cinema houses to be outfitted with air conditioning systems. Unsurprisingly, the (very expensive) upgrades were a giant success. Box office numbers went through the roof as people lined up not just to see movies but to experience the novelty of air conditioning for themselves. And like that, with the help of air conditioning, the cherished American pastime of the summer movie event was born.
About Temp Engineering
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