Life Before Air Conditioning
The air conditioner could be considered one of the most important inventions of the 20th century. It completely revolutionized the way people do summer. Some may say things were better before its invention, but one can’t argue the impact the AC has had on our lives. Let’s leap into the past and see how life went on without condensers, compressors and evaporators.
Porches
The porch was vital to any home in the early 1900’s. Not only did it shade your windows from letting in sunlight but it was a social place for neighborhood families. In those days, indoor and outdoor temperatures were around the same but it was less stuffy on the porch. When families would finish supper, they would all go out on the porch for a little relief from the heat. This led to entire neighborhoods communicating in a way that seems lost on us today.
Home Structure
Have you ever been inside of a church and wondered why the ceilings are so high? The earliest buildings, like churches, were built with high ceilings so that the heat would rise to the top and leave the cooler air down below. When suburbs started emerging, all the homes were built with these high ceilings for the same reason. Air conditioning was not made affordable until the mid 1960’s, so buyers with the income to be choosy only looked for homes with this feature.
Sleeping Outdoors
Getting all sticky before you go to bed is one of the worst feeling ever. To avoid this in the days before air conditioning, they would sleep outside. When they got tired of getting eaten alive by bugs, the screened in porches started emerging.
The Movies
Movie theaters owe a lot of their early success to the air conditioner. The theatres were the only places that could afford the A/C and this had flocks of people migrating into their doors over the summer. We release our big movies around Christmas but theirs were always in the middle of the summer heat.
Change is a funny thing and whether it is better or worse is irrelevant because it is unavoidable. Today it would be difficult to find a home without an air conditioner, obviously a big change from the way things used to be, so get with the times.
For 25 years Leslie Heating & Cooling has been providing trusted customer service to clients throughout the Chicagoland area. We are a family-owned and operated business based in Woodridge, Illinois and is here for all of your emergency needs, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To learn even more, give us a call at (630) 576-9235 or visit our website.
