Where would we be without our valuable air conditioning? That’s something many people don’t even want to think about in the middle of summer! But where did AC truly start?
For the uninitiated, it’s easy to see the Carrier logo and not necessarily think twice about it. But did you know Carrier holds the crowning achievement for having its founder, Willis Carrier, be the inventor of modern AC?
Today we’re looking at an overview of the man’s life! Born November 26th, 1876 in Angola, New York, Willis Carrier wasn’t particularly destined for a life of engineering as his father was a humbled farmer and his mother was a quaker. But that didn’t stop him! He went on to attend Cornell University and graduated in 1901 with an engineering degree. Only one year after graduating, Willis Carrier was about to make history (whether he knew it or not.)
Beginning
Buffalo, New York, 1902. Willis Carrier brainstorms a way to problem solve at a Brooklyn publishing company that has some serious heat issues. This is at summer’s peak in the middle of July so you can likely picture the sweat on his forehead as he blueprints out the first modern air conditioner. The answer was in the control.
Willis Carrier’s air conditioning unit was the first to include humidity control! There were not-so-great AC inventions before his that involved ice and wind output but this invention was the first that really began to shape the future in a tangible way. The rest, as they say, is history.
Mr. Carrier never fathered children but engaged in domestic life as he was married on three different occasions.
He was buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo, New York. The cemetery has a list of other major influencers to history including Lawrence Dale Bell, 13th U.S. president Millard Fillmore, and Rick James.
Legacy
Willis H. Carrier’s legacy lives on and likely always will! Besides being the name for the brand of air conditioning that we are never shy about fully recommending to any home or business, Carrier has kept Willis Carrier’s legacy alive. The Carrier company has a great website dedicated to the man that started it all!
Click here for the Willis Carrier official site and you can even, for those social media lovers, follow Will Carrier on Twitter @WillisCarrier. Pretty neat to see the company take the great man’s legacy into the 21st Century.
Does the work of Willis Carrier inspire you or do you feel post-Carrier technology was almost just as impressive as the first air conditioning iterations? Let us know on the official Comfort Solutions Service Facebook page.
Do you need a Carrier system installed in your home? What about Austin Air Conditioning Services or Austin Heating Services? Contact us! We can be reached at 512.219.1822.
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