The individual responsible for the creation of the air conditioner?
In the sweltering heat of Florida, an American doctor named John Gorrie, born in 1802 and passed away in 1855, conceived the early idea of cooling rooms. His dedication to this "cooling project" was so profound that it led to his financial ruin by 1845.
Gorrie lived and worked in Florida, a climatically hot and humid tropical state in the southeastern United States. During a yellow fever epidemic, he tried to lower room temperatures in hospitals as a precaution to improve air quality. His efforts to combat the disease through air quality control demonstrate his commitment to public health and disease prevention.
Gorrie experimented with artificial ice as a means to cool the rooms during the yellow fever epidemic. Although his initial method of hanging ice blocks from the ceiling to cool the rooms was cumbersome and expensive, his pioneering spirit laid the groundwork for future advancements in air conditioning technology.
Fast forward to the 20th century, Willis Haviland Carrier, a mechanical engineer, discovered his love for tinkering at an early age. Carrier, born in 1876 and passed away in 1950, is credited with making air conditioning suitable for the masses. He published his findings on psychrometry, the study of the thermodynamics of moist air, in 1907.
Carrier's work led to the establishment of the Carrier Air Conditioning Company in Brooklyn in 1915. The company expanded into the Asian market and achieved great commercial success. Today, the Carrier Air Conditioning Company is one of the world's largest air conditioning manufacturers, distributing its products worldwide.
The first air conditioning for the mass market was developed by Willis Haviland Carrier. However, the first air conditioning in a car was installed in a Packard car in 1939. The first air conditioning for cars was developed by the Packard company, although the early systems were not fully integrated into the vehicles and were often found in the trunk or under the dashboard.
The development of fully integrated, water-tight air conditioning systems for cars began in the early 1950s. General Motors (GM) developed such systems, but it is not specified whether they were the first to create a fully integrated, water-tight air conditioning system for cars.
It's essential to note that the technological development of air conditioning systems has continued to evolve over time, with various companies working to optimise these systems. Today, the Asian market is the world's largest market for air conditioners, reflecting the growing demand for comfortable living and working conditions in hot and humid climates.
