If you enjoy your AC in the summer, then you owe someone a debt of gratitude…
His name is Willis Carrier and he is the inventor of modern electric air conditioning.
Willis Carrier, an engineer by trade, was tasked with solving a problem for the Sackett-Wilhelms Lithographing & Publishing Company of Brooklyn, New York.
The issue was this:
The summer in 1902 was abnormally hot and humid, and the printing press was not working as intended.
So, Carrier boldly proposed plans for a system that would control the temperature and humidity of the printing room.
It was a success, and AC was born!
Now, Carrier was a stickler for precision, so he decreed that AC must satisfy the following criteria:
- It must control temperature
- It must control humidity
- It must control air circulation and ventilation
- It must cleanse the air
After refining and testing his designs, he was approved for his first patent in 1906.
Owing to the war that loomed, it would be some time before the cooling business really took off.
But Carrier persevered, and during the 1920’s and 30’s he found considerable success, until another war would disrupt sales.
Finally, by the 1950’s Carrier’s nearly half-century old invention found the popularity in commercial homes that it maintains today.
Now, if Carrier were here right now, we believe he would ask you one question…
When’s the last time you had your HVAC system serviced? ;)
