Cool Comfort - Innovations in Electric Cooling
The history of cool comfort from paper fans to air conditioning.
The First Fan
The first original fans were far less complicated than the inventions we are most familiar with today. Back then, these fans were either powered by hand, alcohol, oil or even the rocking motion of a rocking chair.
The first known fan can be dated back to about 500 BCE. The fan, constructed of leaves or bamboo sticks, was used to move air and cool down an area or room.
As time goes on we begin to see the invention of the fan evolve over time and eventually be powered by electric motors and constructed of aluminum and metal.
The First Electric Fan
Though we give credit to Thomas Edison for establishing our understanding of electricity and William Sturgeon for inventing the electric motor, Schuyler Wheeler was the first to take these two ideas and combine them in a way that would improve the comfort of the household for years to come starting in 1886.
Like most succesful companies, General Electric swooped in and found their own way to stamp their name on such an invention. By overlapping the blades, GE was able to create a more quiet fan.
Though still in its first stages of production and trials for perfection, these Electric Fans were more of a luxury than a convenience.
By the 1900s, inventors found a way to move the air more efficiently by creating fans that could rotate around their base. But be careful, these fans come with quite the shock.
With improvement came the concern for safety. Over time, one can take note of the addition of thicker metal cages surrounding the blades as well as the covering of the once exposed electric terminals.
GE and Their Involvement
General Electric wiggled their way into the invention of fans and can be given some credit to how we structure fans now.
Not only did GE improve on the sound pollution such fans caused but they were the ones to start pushing the size of the blades in order to create a more efficient air flow.
Fans In The Home
With the improvement of air flow and icnrease in safety, the number of household that owned at least one fan grew tremendiously over the next century.
The desire to keep air circulating did not just stop at the elctric fan. Soon we see the invention of the Air Conditioner hope on the market.
The Air Conditioner
Air flow in the house was already starting to get better when the invention of the Air Condition was created. Originally invented by Willis Carrier was a solution to controlling the air flow in an enclosed environment.
Though the first air conditioner was created in July of 1902, the commercial growth of such an invention did not expand until the 1920s and struggled during the Great Depression.
By the 1970s we can see more small and compact versions of the Air Conditioner make its way into homes and windows.
As inventors began to get crafty, we can then see the idea of the Air Conditioner being minimized and placed into automobiles. With AC units, travelling in one's care became alot more comfortable.
