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Still hot. Still dry.
You know, we have National Parks honoring darn near
everything. From Minutemen - the revolutionary war dudes to Minutemen
- the Cold War Weapons. Why not a park honoring the mighty Air Conditioner.
A little A/C history:
Humans have continually searched for ways to keep
cool in the summer, from indulging in Roman baths to locating castles
for cross-ventilation to using cardboard hand fans during many summer
church services.
It has only been in the 20th century - less than 100 years - that
air conditioning as we know it now has been in use. Air conditioning
- or manufactured air, as it was first called - was originally considered
to be simply controlling humidity. Textile mills had a higher production
rate if the inside humidity could be managed. Then temperature control
was added and - presto - circulated air with controlled humidity
and a constant temperature.
In the late 1800s, mechanical refrigeration was used to preserve
meat and perishable foods. In some large cities, cold air was piped
from a central station to surrounding buildings for cold storage
to preserve food, chill beer and protect special documents.
One of the first uses of air conditioning for personal comfort
was in 1902 when the New York Stock Exchange's new building was
equipped with a central cooling as well as heating system. Alfred
Wolff, an engineer from Hoboken, New Jersey who is considered the
forerunner in the quest to cool a working environment, helped design
the new system, transferring this budding technology from textile
mills to commercial buildings.
It wasn't until the 1950's that A/C began to appear in private
homes - and we didn't get A/C in our house until 5 years ago.
See:
National
Building Museum - Keep It Cool
Last
Year a look back.
<YESTERDAY |TOMORROW>
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