On this day 111 years ago, Willis Carrier invented modern air conditioning. With extreme heat all over today's U.S. weather map, millions of people around the world are turning to an invention first developed 111 years ago by Dr. Willis H. Carrier, founder of Carrier. Invented in 1902 as an industrial solution, modern air conditioning has enabled countless industries to flourish-spurring the modern necessities the world relies on today and bringing comfort cooling and productivity to hospitals, schools, offices and homes.
On July 17, 1902, Dr. Carrier developed a design to control the humidity at the Sackett & Wilhelms Lithography and Printing Company in Brooklyn, N.Y., enabling the paper used in the printing process to remain a constant dimension. Among the early industrial adopters of this cool innovation was the film industry, using it to stabilize humidity and ultimately advance filmmaking by preventing the iconic white specks, common in classic movies, from developing on film reels. The film industry was forever changed in 1925 when Carrier cooled the Rivoli Theatre in New York, transforming theaters into a haven from the summer heat, vastly increasing ticket sales during a traditionally slow season, and creating the "summer blockbuster."
On July 17, 1902, Dr. Carrier developed a design to control the humidity at the Sackett & Wilhelms Lithography and Printing Company in Brooklyn, N.Y., enabling the paper used in the printing process to remain a constant dimension. Among the early industrial adopters of this cool innovation was the film industry, using it to stabilize humidity and ultimately advance filmmaking by preventing the iconic white specks, common in classic movies, from developing on film reels. The film industry was forever changed in 1925 when Carrier cooled the Rivoli Theatre in New York, transforming theaters into a haven from the summer heat, vastly increasing ticket sales during a traditionally slow season, and creating the "summer blockbuster."
The conveniences of air conditioning spread to homes in 1926 with Carrier's introduction of the first home air conditioner and since then, the application of air conditioning has become widespread. Today, 87 percent of U.S. homes have some form of air conditioning and a 2012 study conducted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has shown that this technology can be life-saving during summer heat waves.
