Enjoying Cooler Air

July 28, 2009

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Profile America — Tuesday, July 28th. On these blistering hot summer days when we walk from the heat into a cool office, store or home, we can thank a man many of us never have heard of — Willis Carrier. Carrier patented what he called an “apparatus for treating air” in 1906. His idea has fundamentally changed the way most Americans live, work and play. A good example is the surging population growth in some of the nation’s warmest climates. Air conditioning came into widespread use following WWII. Even by 1960, only 12 percent of homes in the U.S. were equipped. Today, six-out-of-10 houses in the U.S. have central air conditioning, and nearly one- out-of-four have window units. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureauonline at <www>.

Sources: Chase's Calendar of Events 2009, p. 343
U.S. Census Bureau, Current Housing Reports, Series H121/94-1, p. 41
Statistical Abstract of the United States 2009, t. 946
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2009edition.html