Technology Evolution Timeline: Air Conditioner

By Amir Chaieb

  • First Air Conditioner

    First Air Conditioner
    The first A/C unit was developed in 1848 by Dr. John Gorrie. He believed that cooling was the key to avoiding diseases like malaria and making patients more comfortable. His system for cooling hospital rooms required ice to be shipped to Florida from frozen lakes and streams in the northern United States.

  • First Modern Air Conditioner

    First Modern Air Conditioner
    It was designed to control humidity more than temperature. Cold air can hold less moisture than warm; Carrier’s invention helped keep humidity levels low for the Sackett & Wilhelm's printing plant, where moisture was wreaking havoc on the paper and ink.

  • First Window Air Conditioner

    First Window Air Conditioner
    In 1931, H.H. Schultz and J.Q. Sherman invented the first room air conditioner; it sat on a window ledge, similar to portable units today.

  • First Air Conditioner In Automobiles

    First Air Conditioner In Automobiles
    The 1940 Packard was the first car to offer factory-installed air-conditioning.

  • First Rotary Compressor

    First Rotary Compressor
    The invention of the rotary compressors reduced the size of the air conditioners along with increasing its efficiency.

  • Nest Thermostat

    Nest Thermostat
    the nest thermostat made it easy to connect home HVAC systems to the Internet. It’s success leads to a $3.2 billion acquisition by Google just a few years later.