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Century later, air conditioning reshapes American life
On the hundredth anniversary of air conditioning, the piece traces its origins with Willis Carrier, from a 1902 Brooklyn printing plant cooling to widespread home use by 1960, noting its impact on the Sun Belt, urban development, and energy concerns while quoting Marsha Ackermann on isolation and cultural change. It covers key milestones, from Rivoli theater in 1925 to postwar suburban adoption and ozone issues.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Corpus Curisti
Tex
Texas
Willis Haviland Carrier
Cornell University
Buffalo Forge Co
John Gorrie
Carrier
Buffalo Forge
Sackett-Wilhelms Lithographic and Publishing Co
New York City
Brooklyn
Judge
New York
United Airlines
Packard
Congress
Gore Vidal
White House
Herbert Hoover
Franklin D. Roosevelt
William Levitt
Philadelphia
General Electric
General Sherman
South
Raymond O. Arsenault
Sun Belt
Phoenix
Houston
United States
California
Marsha E. Ackermann
America
Ackermann