Probably in your ancestral home you might have noticed the high ceilings, doorways, terrace gardens etc. Apart from the enticing architectural design the real purpose behind it was to keep the temperature cool. Although, it is believed air conditioners was invented just to beat the heat, there is lot more history behind this cooling equipment. Unbelievably right? But it’s true! The purpose of air conditioning has gone through tremendous evolution. Here are some quick facts ‘Apparatus for treating the Air’ a.k.a. Air Conditioners
During ancient Egypt civilization one of the most common practices of keeping the air cooler in and around the house was by soaking reeds in water hung on the window sills. And, in 180 AD, a Chinese artisan invented a 10-foot wide rotary fan that had 7 connected wheels it could cool an entire hall of people just by turning a crank.
Speaking of hall, who doesn’t love going for movies watching a film in a cool theater with reclining seats… what a perfect ambiance it is isn’t it. But, have you wondered why are there AC’s installed in the theaters and why not fans? You will be surprised to know that this was a tactic started by theaters owners to attract moviegoers and sell off tickets during summer months. Yes, it’s true it was a well-planned strategy that was a huge success. And, you thought only malls and supermarkets practice these tactics.
Talking of summer don’t you get nostalgic when you think of the good old summer vacations? How you wish to time travel and enjoy a long summer break from work right? But do you know, before modern air-conditioning was invented, many offices and places of business allowed their workers to take a month off during the summer since the performance and productivity rate of the employees was low because of the heat. It was only in 1903 that the New York Stock Exchange Building in NYC was one of the first building to utilize air conditioning system. And, today with every company having centralized air-conditioning milieu employee’s work year round.
Although, air conditioner was a welcome change in the professional world, interestingly in 1939 this was not really a welcomed addition in cars. Here’s why: In order to start the air condition in the car the driver had to stop the engine, open the hood and disconnect the compressor belt. Although it worked, it was definitely not consumer friendly and was a time consuming process.
It took almost 10 years from the first industry experiments before Packard Motor Car Co. introduced the first factory-installed air conditioner, on a 1940 model at the 1939 Chicago auto show. It ran on a compressor, but the refrigerating coils were behind the back seat.
Image Courtesy: Popular Science, November 1993
Do you know, apart from making your work place or personal space cooler during summers this apparatus for treating air also help in removing allergens from air and alleviates allergies or asthma?Air conditioners help remove allergens from the air by filtering a significant amounts of pollen, dust and other harmful particles.That means the air circulating from the air conditioner is not only cooler but also clean and free from dust and other pollutants.
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