My 10-year-old kid Rylan had to do a report about inventors.
When he first told me about his report, I got excited because I thought for sure he would pick someone who invented airplanes or trains.
He’s obsessed with both of those and collects toy trains and planes all the time. In fact, he has a wall full of collectables that he has been gifted by our friends and family over the years. Anyway, Rylan explained that he didn’t get to choose the inventor, it was a random selection made by each student. So unfortunately, a couple of his classmates chose the inventor of the train and airplane. Rylan ended up choosing the inventor of the a/c unit. Of course, this topic doesn’t sound as interesting as the invention of a plane or train, but if you think about it, the a/c is one of the most important pieces of current equipment. There are over 310 million people who use some form of air conditioning inside their homes. So, though often overlooked, it is an absolutely important asset to all of us. Anyway, while helping Rylan with his research, I discovered so much about the evolution of a/c systems. The first person that was credited for the a/c unit was a healthcare worker named John Gorrie with his invention dating back to the mid-1760s. Then I discovered that some 52 years later, Carrier was the first company to revolutionize the technology to make it available for residential homes. One thing’s for sure, a/c units may not be as exciting as airplanes or trains, but they are far more important than my buddy and I tend to believe.