How the Pests Led to Air Conditioning

Each state in the United States has two statues in the U.S. Capitol which honor notable people from throughout its history. Florida, one of the nation’s most populous and historic states, devotes one of its two statues to John Gorrie. Who, you may ask? John Gorrie was one of the world’s foremost pioneers of air conditioning—an invention for which Floridians are understandably grateful! But Gorrie’s life and the life cycle of the air conditioner both went through some unusual ups and downs—here’s an overview:

The Gulf Coast town of Apalachicola was a center of commerce and trade in the 19th century. It feel upon hard times, however, when mosquito-borne illnesses ravaged the area. One doctor bore the burden of the responsibility for a massive influx of yellow fever and malaria patients—and his name was Dr. John Gorrie.

The word “malaria” derives from Italian—it means “bad air.” Gorrie’s theory was thus understandable: that the surrounding swamps carried bad air from decomposing vegetation, and were facilitating the spread of diseases. So Gorrie invented a primitive machine, which laid the foundations for future innovation. Gorrie’s machine froze a block of ice, and used a fan to blow air over the ice. A saltwater solution, chilled to below regular water’s freezing point, served as the machine’s refrigerant. It was an ingenious invention.

Even today, Gorrie’s legacy is well-known by executives in related industries. “This cooling unit that John Gorrie came up with was a way to treat patients because he felt if he kept them cool it would prevent a lot of the carrying of this fever from one patient to the other,” said John Nix, senior engineer at Florida Power and Light. Nix goes on to describe how air conditioning shaped commerce as America expanded: “Before air conditioning, houses were built with very high ceilings so that heat could rise,” he observed. “Railroad cars got air conditioning and people started traveling on the railroads more and more. Theaters, retail stores got popular. It allowed for the building of large hotels.”

Air conditioning didn’t become a widespread phenomenon in America until the 1920s. Now, however, the AC unit is a mainstay of the American home, as over 80% of homes are equipped with an AC unit.

Indeed, air conditioning is here to stay. And AC World has the air conditioners and related supplies you need—check out our options today!