Remember “The Fonz?” 

If you’re of a certain age, you may remember Henry Winkler’s portrayal of “Fonzy” on the television series, “Happy Days.”  “The Fonz” exuded “coolness.” He was confident and funny, and everyone wanted to be around him.  

Not everyone can be like “The Fonz,” but we all have a unique way of presenting ourselves. That smile. That look. That walk. The way we think. The way we respond to others. The activities we choose to do.  

Everyone is born with a distinctive COOL attitude 

While coolness in attitude is born into us, coolness with regard to comfort wasn’t an automatic state of being. First, there was a lot of sweating and discomfort during intense heat waves, desert wanderings, and sweltering temperatures.  

But people have learned how to be cool and comfortable over eons in all different situations. Here’s how “coolness” progressed to the elevated state it is now.  

First, there were palm leaves  

The earliest way to stay cool was to use palm leaves as fans. The movement of air over skin helps evaporate perspiration which cools us.  

In movies, you see Pharaohs and Kings being fanned by servants. Moving air around is the first and most basic way to stay cool. It’s a technique still used today.  

Then came mountain ice 

What’s the coldest thing you could find in ancient Roman times?  

Snow and ice.  

Centuries before the birth of Christ, Romans hauled snow and ice from the mountains. They’d pack it in custom-designed cistern-type storage houses called “ice pits.” The structures were heavily insulated with cork, sawdust, or cork.  

Ice would then be used to cool water, and Emperors would bring it into gardens to create cool spots.  

And there were parasols, too 

In the East, one way to stay cool was to use parasols. Originating in ancient Egypt, parasols of some form were used throughout the world. In India, Maharajas were shielded from heat by servants who held parasols over their heads. In Asia, parasols were also used to protect not just from the sun, but they were made to protect from rain as well.  

Silk parasols were waterproofed and became umbrellas in the 11th Century B.C.  

Royalty and nobility were protected by parasols and umbrellas. The more powerful they were, the more tiers their parasol had. In China, the Emperor was protected by a four-tiered parasol. In Burma and Siam, very elaborate parasols with 8 to 24 layers protected the leaders! 

Architectural “Coolness”    

Island climates have long known the power of cross-breezes and open pavilions.  

Architectural features facilitating coolness and comfort began in the United States with the advent of transom windows and sleeping porches. 

Transom windows began to appear in the 13th century, but in America, they appeared in the mid 1800s. The benefit of transom windows is that they let in light without allowing people to see inside. The greatest advantage of transom windows, however, was to allow air movement throughout a home.  

Sleeping porches, too, kept people comfortable by letting people sleep “outdoors” in the cool of night without being enclosed in a room with walls that had accumulated the day’s heat. Usually, they were screened in, and many homes in the 1920s boasted a “sleeping porch” as the most up-to-date amenity.  

Electric Fans  

Today, we don’t think about the innovation of the electric fan as a life-altering achievement, but it was!  

We have two men to thank for that great invention.  

First, Schuyler Skaats Wheeler was an electrical engineer who worked with Thomas Edison. Eventually, Wheeler developed small engines, and when he put a two-blade propeller on an electric motor in 1882, he started a whole new industry.   

Second, Philip H. Diehl came along. Diehl as a German immigrant. After losing everything in the Chicago Fire in 1871, Diehl moved to the East Coast and started work with the Singer Sewing Machine Company.  Diehl had a brilliant idea. He took a sewing-machine motor and mounted it with a fan blade. By attaching the device to the ceiling, he was able to cool the room, inventing the ceiling fan in the process.  

The Ceiling Fan was patented in 1889. Diehl added a light fixture a few years later, and in 1904, he added a split-ball joint. This joint allowed the fan to be redirected and developed into the first oscillating fan.   

Willis Carrier and Air Conditioning 

Willis Carrier was an amazing guy. Many of us know that he created the air conditioner while trying to solve the problem of shrinking paper for a printing company. After studying at Cornell University, Carrier became an engineer and went on to solve problems throughout his lifetime.  

His invention of air conditioning in 1902 changed the world. Workers became more productive. Sickness decreased because circulating cool air resulted in fewer germs and less disease. Patients often recovered in hospitals because the air temperature was more conducive to healing.   

Without Carrier’s invention, the hot regions of the United States like Florida and Arizona would not have been able to support the large population now living there!  

Without the air conditioning that Carrier developed, retail would not have blossomed, and we wouldn’t have had what was known in the film industry as the “Summer Blockbuster!”  

Window air units 

While air conditioning enhanced the quality of offices, hospitals, and retail centers, most homes couldn’t afford air conditioning.  

In the 1930s, General Electric and Frigidaire developed a smaller window unit for homes that could be placed on a window ledge, but it was still very heavy and very expensive and didn’t sell well.  

It took until the mid-1940s when an engineer named Henry Galson figured out how to make it smaller and less expensive. Manufacturers jumped on the bandwagon, and by 1947, more than 43,000 units were sold. Home air conditioning became a reality.  

After WWII, the boom in housing made air conditioning even more popular. By 1953, there were a million requests for air conditioning, and the supply couldn’t keep up with the demand!  

Today...How you got to be so incredibly cool 

Centuries after palm leaf-waving, ice-hauling, parasols, and the invention of machinery that can move air and reduce humidity, American society is incredibly cool. 

Ninety percent of homes have air conditioning now.  

Innovations in the industry have improved the efficiency, the size, the decibel levels, and the cost of air conditioning systems. We have smart thermostats, occupancy sensors, ductless systems, and heat pumps, all designed to keep you cool and comfortable.  

No matter what you need to continue to be incredibly cool, ServiceOne Air Conditioning and Plumbing is here to help. With more than 20 years of experience, trained and talented technicians, and a team of professionals focused on serving you, ServiceOne takes care of your needs.  

Call us.