A Brief History of Air Conditioning

Did you know that people have been coming up with nobel ways to keep cool for millennia? Your current whole-home air conditioner may be a modern convenience, but it is just the latest in a long line of cooling innovations. How did our ancestors stay cool in the summer and in hot climates? Take a quick tour of the brief history of air conditioning.

It All Started with Cavemen

Humans’ first homes were natural formations: caves. They not only provided protection from the elements and predators; they also provided a cool place to get out of the sun. These ancient ancestors not only understood that being underground was cooler; they took full advantage of it by living in caves and digging tunnels and burrows to beat the heat.

Egyptians Used Water to Get Cool

We know today that water can have a cooling effect, and some modern HVAC systems still use that principle. The Egyptians discovered this fact thousands of years ago and used it to cool their homes. They hung water-soaked reeds in windows to cool incoming breezes.

Ducts Were Invented in Ancient Greece

Today all of our HVAC systems use ducts to move warm and cool air through a building to heat or cool it. The ancient Greeks were the first to discover that this would be a good way to control temperature. They used water piped in to buildings to change cool rooms. The Romans took that idea and improved on it with air ducts under floors to move warm and cool air through bath houses and other buildings.

Thank China for Fans

We still use fans today because these simple devices are effective at cooling you down in the heat. It was in ancient China that people first realized that moving air cools and the fan was invented. Today we use fans in place of air conditioning systems, but also within them to move air around rooms and buildings.

Our methods for getting cool have changed over the millennia, but not as much as you may have realized. We still use fans, ducts, and even geothermal cooling, first discovered by our cave-dwelling ancestors.

To learn more about your modern air conditioning options, check in with a Cardinal Heating and A/C professional today.