Cold and hot are funny things, aren’t they? Basically, they do one of two things. They slow things down, or they speed things up, molecularly speaking.
Water is an excellent example of this. When exposed to heat — and enough heat — the molecules will start moving so fast you can see them — collectively — buzzing around when the water begins to boil. The opposite happens with the cold. It makes things slow down so much that they turn into solids. In an icy way.
Now, given my personality, it is clear which one I would naturally like. I have to be moving and doing something, pretty much all the time. When I am idol — when my body tries to sit still — after a limited period of time, it protests.
I can’t sit through an entire movie. And only with god’s intervention could I stay in the pew for the entire hour of Mass. That’s why Catholicism was clearly the only choice for this young Kronenberger. All the sitting, standing, kneeling, sitting, kneeling, standing, kneeling, and on.
Anyway.
Cold is not my choice. And the older I get, it seems, the more the cold bothers me. It doesn’t even have to be that cold, and I am cold. All year round, I have to wear a sweatshirt or sweater of some sort. It is not to induce sweating. Because it doesn’t. No, it is just to keep me from freezing solid.
You would think I love the hot summers then, right? But I no longer do. They are terrifying. It is a glorious 95 degrees outside, but inside, in most places, it feels like the arctic tundra due to artificial air conditioning.
I don’t understand this. It makes the “feeling” of going outside that much more intense. And in the summertime, most people and businesses behave like Mr. Freeze from episode #94 of Batman and Robin.
We have one man to thank for all of this. Blast him. Today is his birthday, November 26, 1876.
Willis Carrier was an American engineer who first developed modern air conditioning systems. Historians say he helped revolutionize life in warmer climates. But I’ve been to those areas. They mostly use fans.
Back to it. Carrier invented the first air conditioning system for a printer in New York in 1902. I bet the printer guy was some big dude with an oversized waist and a stogie burning in his mouth around the clock. Much to Mrs. Printer’s chagrin. Nonetheless. Carrier kept at the air-conditioning thing, and after some improvements, he was granted a US patent for this in 1906.
He did a lot of work in hot and cold theories, dew points, and such. And.
In 1915 Carrier and six other engineers formed the Carrier Engineering Corporation. These days, the company remains a significant player in the industry.
And yes. When we go into freezing restaurants, we can think of Willis. He went on to develop air-condition for large public spaces, such as movie theaters, groceries, and malls. The hefty freeze that would forever change the way people lived their lives.
Including me, who has to stay bundled up like a resident of Manitoba, all throughout the summer.
So, with winter on the way, we don’t have to worry about Carrier’s invention on the inside. But the true big chill looms outdoors, thanks to the first inventor of air conditioning. Mother Nature.
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“A lot of people like snow. I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water.”
― Carl Reiner
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“Nothing burns like the cold.”
― George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones
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“Climate is what we expect, weather is what we get.”
— Mark Twain
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