The Inventor of Modern Refrigeration

Born on June 11, 1842 in Berndorf, Germany, an engineer named Carl Paul Gottfried von Linde came up with an idea that led to the invention of the refrigerator.

His studies of a continuous process of liquefying gases in large quantities served as the basis for the refrigeration technology. He was able to complete his work in 1876.

Before the invention of the fridge, cellars were provided with packed snow and ice to cool food and serve as a not so modern refrigeration system.

Today most of us have our own refrigerators at home. We have grown accustomed to its presence. But what exactly is refrigeration and what is the science behind a refrigerator that makes it work that way?

What is refrigeration?

Refrigeration is the process of lowering temperature by removing heat from an enclosed space or substance.

How does a refrigerator work?

It's all about the nature of physics. Through compression, a liquid undergoes a rapid evaporation. The rapid expansion of vapors requires kinetic energy. The vapors get energy from immediate surroundings, thus, the area loses energy and becomes cool. This process is the primary basis of today's refrigeration system.

Many devices have inspired our modern refrigerator before it was successfully done as a safe cooling appliance at home. In 1748, William Cullen demonstrated the first know artificial refrigeration at the University of Glasgow, but did not apply it to any practical purposes.

Oliver Evans, an American inventor, designed the first refrigeration machine in 1805. The use of ether was used in the first practical refrigerating system introduced by Jacob Perkins in 1834.

In 1844, an American physician named John Gorrie made a refrigerator for his patients with yellow fever through the use of ice to cool the air inspired by the design of Oliver Evan(1844).

Carl Paul Gottfried von Linde came up with the idea of liquefying gas later.

There were also parts of the refrigerator history where such chemicals were used only to find out they were too dangerous to use. From the late 1800's until 1929, ammonia(NH3), methyl chloride(CH3CL), and sulfur dioxide(SO2) were used as refrigerants.

Fatal accidents happened due to these chemicals. Further research led to the utilization of Freon for compressor refrigerators. It was later found out that these chlorofluorocarbons endangered the ozone layer.

Through the advancement of modern cooling systems, people enjoy the convenience of food preservation without the arduous effort of someone in history long before the invention of refrigerators, given much appreciation, of course, to Carl von Linde with his precious scientific ideas that produced the advent of more effective refrigerators.

Carl von Linde died at the age of 92 in 1934. He had been awarded three Honorary Doctorates, Bavarian crown achievement medal. He was also honored with elevation to personal nobility status among many other honors.

We owe a lot to Carl von Linde. From the simple kitchen fridge to giant walkin coolers and freezers, Carl von Linde helps us keep our food fresh even today!

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.

The Inventors Of Modern Soccer - English Soccer History

English Soccer History - Early Days

It's hard to determine exactly how soccer became so popular in England in the 19th century, but the truth is that in the mid 19th century, almost every major town had a semi-professional soccer team. These teams were usually associations of workers from the same factory or institution or simply students at a local University.

Matches between those teams were played occasionally, with little to no prize, but only for competition's sake. However, these matches were played without any rules or a referee and as soccer isn't necessarily a sport that's completely clean of violence, all it took was a harsh tackle or an argument about a particular rule to start a bloody fight between the two teams and their supporters.

But the year 1863 marked an extremely important chapter in English soccer history, as several soccer clubs from all over the country (prominently from London) met up in the English capital and set up a sort of "soccer constitution" called the Laws of the Game (a modified version of the original rules are still in effect today and are still called as such).

That was also the birth certificate of the Football Association, or simply FA that is still ruling over English soccer nowadays and had a tremendous importance throughout the history of soccer in England and the way it evolved.

English Soccer History - Important Milestones

With England being rightfully considered the inventors of modern soccer, one would expect them to be amongst the most successful national squads in the World. However, despite having some world class soccer players throughout time and despite always being favorites for the competitions they start in, the English national squad only achieved few important milestones throughout the entire soccer history in England.

The apogee of English soccer and the most important chapter ever to be written in the entire history of soccer in England was definitely the successful World Cup run in 1966, a competition that was held on English ground, giving them the advantage to grasp their long-awaited trophy.

The 1966 team, captained by legendary Bobby Moore and with other key components such as Jackie Charlton or Geoff Hurst playing regularly, remains the best national squad in the entire English soccer history, especially since their success has not been equaled ever since.

English Soccer History - Modern Era

England is still a top team in Europe and throughout the World and has some players that are considered having world class quality, but the national team still has moderate success, despite being star-studded.

Recently, the form of English clubs overshadowed the poor performance of the national team, as Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool or Arsenal continue to be heavy contenders for each year's European Champion's League, the most prestigious club competition in the World.

Despite being happy with the respect English clubs impose in Europe, fans are still yearning for that long awaited European or World Cup which could mark a new important chapter in the English soccer history.

William Bovie – the Inventor of Modern Electrosurgery

William Bovie is credited by the world as the developer of the first commercial electrosurgical tool. He believed that the cautery effect, which is the way by which you destroy dead or dying or tissue that is not normal by applying great hot or cold to it, might be possible by the use of electric current of very high frequency.

In reality, the first Bovie knife and the surgeries in which it was used were made better and changed over the years. The sale of his electrosurgery devices did not make much money for years. There was not enough demand for it and the design was continually changed and made better. In fact, the surgeon probably never really profited from his invention.

Bovie would be pleased most likely if he knew that the Bovie knife, or devices based upon it, are now one of the most important tools used in delicate surgeries of all types today. Some of these surgeries are so intricate, that the human hand is not steady enough to perform them. An electrosurgical tool has to be fitted onto a machine, which is then controlled by a surgeon by remote.

Today the Bovie knife is used in all sorts of electrosurgery. How it works is that a high frequency current is applied to tissue. It normally is at hundreds of thousands of oscillations per second.

There is a fast elevation of temperature where the electrode comes in contact with tissue. It transfers heat into the human tissue. It destroys the tissue that it touches directly, and cuts and seals tissues which are adjacent. Sometimes this surgery is called thermocautery or electrocautery.

The most common uses of the Bovie knife in electrosurgery are in surgeries on the eye and on the brain. Sometimes this tool is used to take off skin tumors, and for fine dental surgery.

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