Cold Ice on a Hot Day

As the temperatures rise outside, think of the one place in the house that is always cool - the refrigerator. The home may be hot during summer, but the fridge remains cold. Ice from the refrigerator makes beverages cold and refreshing. Food from the fridge makes meal preparation easy, without running to the store whenever you want fresh food. Many appliances and innovations have made modern life convenient and easy, but the refrigerator is one of the most overlooked inventions we take for granted.

Yakhchāls

The cold of winter provides ice. In the spring, the ice melts. Even ancient civilizations recognized that the cold provided the ability to preserve food during the winter. The problem then became how to make the ice last throughout the year without the technology necessary to convert warm air into cold. A simple solution was the icehouse. Collecting ice during the winter months and storing the ice in underground chambers slowed the melting process. This concept dates to ancient times as a means of preserving food. Utilized in early China and Egypt, these underground ice houses allowed food to remain cold during the hot summer seasons. As far back as 400 BC, the Persians built yakhchāls in the desert. Yakhchāls, or ice pit houses, not only stored ice but were designed to take advantage of the low humidity of the desert and use evaporative cooling to lower the temperature inside.

Common Sense Approach

Collecting ice during the cold months and storing it underground during the warmer months remained the primary means of refrigeration until the 19th century. Ice was traded like lumber or gold during the late 19th century. Technological advancements in transportation created the ability to quickly move ice into warmer climates. Entrepreneurs recognized that ice could be transported from cooler temperatures during the summer and sold to more hospitable locations. The hotter the geographic location, the more profitable and lucrative the ice trade. The self-proclaimed Boston Ice King, Fredrick Tudor, ignited the commercial ice trade in 1806. Hoping to capitalize on wealthy Europeans in the hot Caribbean environment, Tudor harvested ice from New England and transported the ice, along with specially designed ice houses, to the Caribbean. As the profits grew, Tudor expanded the business to deliver ice across the Midwest of the United States, into South America, Australia, and even China. At the peak, almost 100,000 people worked in the commercial ice industry.

Waldon Pond

Fredrick Tudor harvested ice from Waldon Pond. The same Walden Pond was made famous by Henry David Thoreau.

Delivery of Ice

Adding to commercial ice's profitability, manufacturers created consumer iceboxes. The icebox, or ice chest, became a common household appliance in the late 19th century. These ice refrigerators were nothing more than wooden or metal insulated containers. Straw, sawdust, and cork were used as insulation. Ice, still harvested from colder regions, could be added to the box to keep contents cool during the hot summer months. Commercial ice was regularly delivered to consumers like milk delivery.

Artificial Refrigeration

The ability to create artificial refrigeration began in the middle of the 1700s. Vaporized refrigeration systems were invented in 1834, yet another decade would pass before refrigeration technology became possible. The first commercial ice-making machine was designed in the mid-1800s. Recognizing the potential for business use, numerous manufacturers created refrigeration systems and competed for the business market. The first successful automatic refrigerator was created in 1856 by Australian inventor James Harrison. This system used vapor compression to cool the air inside a box and was sold primarily for commercial purposes. What made Harrisons' invention an immediate success, it was invented for the brewing industry to keep beer cold, and soon all breweries wanted one!

Cold Beer

What made Harrisons' invention an immediate success, it was invented for the brewing industry to keep beer cold, and soon all breweries wanted one!

Thomas Midgley Jr.

Only in 1913 did refrigerator technology develop for consumer usage. In 1913 Fred W. Wolf patented the domestic refrigerator, the DOMestic ELectric REfrigerator or DOMELRE. Wolf’s design was a significant step in bringing refrigeration technology into homes and included the first ice tray for freezing water into ice cubes. The unfortunate aspect of this technology was using toxic gases like ammonia and sulfur dioxide as refrigerants. Thomas Midgley Jr., an American engineer, developed Freon. Freon was non-toxic and non-flammable, increasing the safety of refrigerators. The advent of freon made safety no longer a concern. 1923, Frigidaire created a self-contained refrigeration unit, although it was only popular and affordable for business use.

General Electric

The earliest refrigerators were available to the public as early as the 1920s, but the ability to mass produce refrigerators and increase consumer availability by adding electricity did not occur until the 1930s and 1940s. In a 1920s advertisement, General Electric proclaimed that the fridge made it safe to be hungry again! By the 1950s, refrigerator design and price made the appliance affordable and available. This marked a transformative shift in how people stored and preserved food.

Indispensable Appliance

The modern household, dorm room, and apartment would not be complete without the refrigerator. Without the fridge, ice is at the fingertips of every consumer. In addition, the refrigerator changed how food is preserved, the convenience of ready-made meals, and society's overall health. The latest focus of improvements to the fridge is centered around improving efficiency and finding new means of cooling without harmful chemicals. Energy Star ratings and regulations have been implemented to encourage using energy-efficient refrigerators. Today, refrigerators come in various sizes, styles, and features, including side-by-side doors, bottom freezers, and intelligent technology. Some even have advanced features like water and ice dispensers, temperature-controlled compartments, and digital displays.