It must be hard to imagine, but for only a minutia of human history has air-conditioning actually existed. Places like Arizona, or Albuquerque would be difficult to populate in the summer without the invention of air-conditioning. So in an effort to praise AC, below is a brief account of its genesis.

AC History

The first known account of air-conditioning use dates back to the times of the ancient Romans. On a hot day, the Etruscans, would soak a sheet in water, hang it in the living room, and allow the breeze to blow through it, thus creating a wind chill effect. Simple enough. But AC innovation halted there, and it did not progress for 2,000 years.

The Modern AC Era

Like all good things in America, Ben Franklin somehow played a part. Ben Franklin and John Hadley, utilized the principles of evaporation to create the first ever modern AC. Indeed, the essential functioning of AC still relies on evaporation. Try dropping a bit of rubbing alcohol on your skin and gauging the temperature after.

A Regression, Followed by Progression

AC innovators took a step back, by reverting to an ice making machine to cool the home. The concept was similar to the Roman’s understanding of AC. A fan was blown over a tub of ice in order to cool a room. But in the early 1900’s AC finally hit the mainstream. Willis H. Carrier invented the first modern AC which was used by printing houses to help preserve the ink.