Whether it’s food, pop culture, or technology, we all try to be as knowledgeable about different topics as much as we possibly can. That’s why we all love sites like Tumblr and Sporcle, curation of content that mixes useless facts with actual newsworthy information. Well, at Action Cooling & Heating in Fort Meyers, Florida, we love fun facts and trivia as much as the next person. In honor of the hottest month of summer, here are 5 cool facts about air conditioners that we bet you didn’t even know.
1. In 1902, engineer Willis Carrier was looking for a way to control building humidity. In this effort, invented an “apparatus for treating air”, which thus became the beginning of the air conditioner. Willis Carrier was since dubbed the “Father of Air Conditioning”.
2. The first home that had a fully functioning air conditioner was built in 1913. The owner of this Minneapolis mansion was Charles Gates, whom unfortunately passed away before he could ever use it.
3. The first president to ever use air conditioning in the White House was Herbert Hoover. The cost of the total installation was around $30,000 for the Oval Office. This was met with great controversy, as this was the beginning of the Great Depression.
4. According to American researchers, the chances of dying due to unbearable heat on hot days has drastically reduced, falling more than 80% over the last 50 years. This has been correlated to the rise of air conditioners over the course of that time.
5. The term “Summer Blockbuster” was coined because theaters were one of the first industries to utilize the technology back in the early 1900’s. As homes were not equipped with air conditioning yet, families would go to the movies to escape the summer heat.
So, the next time you’re at trivia night and they ask about air conditioners, you remember where you learned your fun facts first.
