Who Invented the Refrigerator?
Most of us use one every day, but who invented the refrigerator? Imagine what the world was like not too many decades ago when snow and ice were used to keep foods cold.
Decades ago, icehouses were the most common type of refrigeration available. These little houses were often set near freshwater lakes during the summer months to keep things cool. During the winter months, food was often packed into snow and ice, which allowed people to keep food longer than during those summer months. While most people don’t rely upon this type of refrigeration today, it is still possible to place things outside during the winter months in order to keep them cool. So, who invented the refrigerator as we know it?
Well, as far as history can tell a man by the name of William Cullen created the first artificial refrigeration system at the University of Glasgow. Cullen’s invention came out around the year 1748. Though Cullen’s invention seems to be the first of its kind, other inventors contributed to the entire cooling concept from 1748 onwards. The first ice maker was made around 1850 by Dr. John Gorrie. In 1857 an Australian man by the name of James Harrison created the first vapor-compressions refrigerator (though he marketed this contraption solely to brewing companies and meat packers).
The absorption refrigerator was created by Blatzar von Platen and Carl Munters in 1922. Though the two were still students at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden, the machine was picked up by Electrolux and sold globally. Still, this refrigeration system was very expensive, which meant that only industrial companies could afford it. During this time, most American households were still melting ice to keep food cold. In 1927, General Electric produced the Monitor-Top, which sold widely throughout the nation. Many of these antique refrigerators still exist today, though they are filled with sulfur dioxide and methyl formate – two chemicals that can be hazardous to one’s health if it leaks. Once Freon hit the market during the 1930s, almost every household in American had a refrigerator. When the 1950s rolled around, refrigerators that contained a lot of gadgets became very popular. Who invented the refrigerator? Well, as you can see, many different people contributed to this invention.
From icehouses to the fancy machines that many have today, cooling systems have come a long way. Though most can’t imagine life without a fridge, many of our ancestors had to rely upon Mother Nature to keep things cool.
Now that you know the answer to the original question (who invented the refrigerator?), you can marvel in wonder at your refrigerator today. While we may take it for granted, refrigerators were once unheard of.