Just the Tip of the Iceberg-The Complex History of Air Conditioning

Air conditioning is taken for granted by most of us in the 21st century The history of air
conditioning has a !ery long" complicated and interesting back-story A-1 American Services, the
leader in H#AC #irginia $each" kno%s air conditioning like the back of our hand" so allo% us to
introduce a brief history of this luxury %e tend to take for granted" air conditioning The &omans may
ha!e been the pioneers of air conditioning" like many other things" and used hollo%ed-out %alls that
circulated cool air through a particular room to keep it cool In this article %e discuss the t%o most
important and interesting periods in air conditioning history' the har!esting of ice from lakes" ponds"
and icebergs to be distributed among the meat-packing and other industries (and to indi!iduals %ho
could afford it)* and the ad!ent of modern air conditioning through +illiam Carrier,s -air chiller-
de!ice
The ice trade" or fro.en %ater trade %as a booming" multi-million dollar-a-year industry in the 1/00,s
It centered on the retrie!al of ice from fro.en ponds and streams in the 1astern 2nited 3tates and
4or%ay After being cut from a fro.en lake or pond" and in rare cases e!en icebergs" it %as hauled by
boat to land" %here it %as stored in an -ice house- 5rom here the ice tra!eled by barge or train to its
intended destination
5rederic Tudor" 4e% 1ngland businessman" is credited %ith founding the industry in 1/06 It turns out
he made a smart in!estment In only a fe% short years the industry spread to as for off as India and
Australia" gaining him unimagined %ealth Ice houses %ere built in the Caribbean and other places in
hopes that the %ealthy 1uropean elite li!ing there %ould en7oy the luxury of ice" to use in a !ariety of
applications Among other things" the ice trade %as a boon to meat-packing industry" among others The
meat" preser!ed through in the ice" could no% be sent internationally and sold there 8f course" e!en
domestically" meat and other perishable foods %ere no% able to last longer and fresher The ice
industry" despite its reach and popularity" %ould soon fall off the map almost o!ernight %ith the ad!ent
of +illiam Carrier,s -air chiller- machine 1!en in its infancy" his -air chiller- machine had the
fundamental components of modern air conditioning #irginia $each systems
In 192: +illis Carrier con!inced paramount pictures that his -air chiller- in!ention %ould increase
summertime attendance in their cinemas After their Times 3;uare flagship theater installed his
in!ention" ticket sales rose dramatically as audience members enthusiastically pro!ed that Carrier %as
right <ore sales meant huge profits %hich in turn brought more films" ushering in the =olden Age of
Cinema" all thanks to +illis Carrier,s %ild idea The story of the history of modern air conditioning
ended %ith Carrier,s in!ention" but the future may hold different and more effecti!e heating and air
conditioning #irginia $each systems

The moral of Carrier,s story is not 7ust that the success of in!entions is intimately related %ith their
ability to create corporate profit" but also that the determination of people %ith great ideas to promote
and market their ideas is as important as the ideas themsel!es" much akin to the saying -a gold mine
unhar!ested may as %ell be 7ust another ca!e-
A-1 American Services is proud to say that %e ha!e the most kno%ledgeable air conditioning #irginia
$each technicians of any H#AC company in the area And %hile the history of air conditioning may be
interesting" %hen your air conditioning breaks on the hottest day of summeryou 7ust don,t care ho% it
%orks or about its history" you 7ust %ant it fixed> A-1 American Services understands this" %hich is
%hy %e offer 2?@A" B6: emergency ser!ices +ITH82T charging any o!ertime> 3o %hen your A@C
breaks" make the smart call and call the A-1 American 3er!ices at A:A-?2:-2?00






A-1 American Services pro!ides air conditioning" heating and plumbing ser!ices" like drain cleaning
ser!ices to homes and businesses in the Hampton &oads #irginia cities of #irginia $each" Chesapeake"
4orfolk" Cortsmouth" 3uffolk" 4e%port 4e%s and Hampton and north into +illiamsburg A-1
American pro!ides emergency ser!ice and repair" 2? hours a day" A days a %eek" including %eekends
and holidays A-1 American charges by the 7ob" not by the hour A-1 American prides itself on
immediate response" punctuality" courtesy and customer satisfaction Call today 757-425-2400