The Inventor of Modern Cooling

While many of us are still shivering in much of the country, soon the chill of winter will be behind us and we will be looking for a way to stay cool. If you're someone who loves to know where things come from, here is a basic synopsis of where the origins of air conditioning and refrigeration got its start.

The Man Behind Modern Cooling Systems

When the dog days of summer hit, think of John Gorrie and thank him for inventing what eventually led to modern air conditioning. John Gorrie, who lived from 1803 to 1855, was a Renaissance man in the truest sense. He was a physician, scientist, inventor, and even a humanitarian.

For the sake of this article, we want to concentrate on his passion for invention. But, in a way, his "cool" invention is connected to his medical career. Dr. Gorrie was involved in medical research on tropical diseases. In the 19th century, the prevailing theory for airborne diseases was that they were caused by bad or polluted air. What Dr. Gorrie believed was that warm air caused diseases such as malaria. So, he ordered the cooling of "sick rooms."

What started out as a misguided effort to minimize contagious diseases ended up as the start for modern cooling systems. Since ice at this time had to be imported (can you imagine?), Gorrie began to experiment with making artificial ice.

By 1845, Dr. Gorrie gave up his medical practice and explored refrigeration. On May 6, 1851, Gorrie was given Patent No. 8080 for a machine that would make ice.

But ultimately, the story of Dr. Gorrie and his great idea can be seen as a tragedy. In the midst of raising money for his venture, his partner passed away and so did the project. Dr. Gorrie died in seclusion in 1855. But the original model of his ice making machine and the scientific articles he wrote are housed at the Smithsonian Institution.

The story doesn't end there. In fact, there's talk of foul play. According to John Gorrie's biographer, Vivian M. Sherlock, Frederic "The Ice King" Tudor, was suspected of being instrumental in the failure of Gorrie's invention. Tudor launched a smear campaign against the invention.

Why would anyone do something like that, you ask? Well, there's a reason Frederic Tudor of Boston, Massachusetts was referred to as the Ice King. He was the founder of the Tudor Ice Company, through which Tudor made a boat load of money - literally. That's because he shipped boat loads of ice to places like the Caribbean, Europe, and even India.

While Dr. Gorrie's invention never got off the ground, it laid the groundwork for Willis Haviland Carrier who invented the air conditioner in 1902.