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It\'s hard to imagine life without air conditioning, especially in a metropolis such as New York. In fact, many of New York\'s structures simply would not exist without the creation of indoor artificial climates.
Dr. John Gorrie, a physician trained at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of the Western District of New York (Fairfield Medical School), is recognized as the father of air conditioning. Although many individuals made contributions to the development of air conditioning, including Leonardo Da Vinci\'s water-driving fan for indoor ventilation in the 1500s, John Gorrie was the first to design and build a refrigeration machine for comfort cooling.
After completing medical school in New York, Dr. Gorrie eventually settled in Apalachicola, Florida. His motivation for selecting this area may have been to care for patients suffering from malaria and yellow fever. Dr. Gorrie was convinced by his research that he could save the lives of patients dying of malaria by reducing the room temperature in his hospital. As early as 1842, Dr. Gorrie invented an air-conditioning system to treat seamen sick with fever by blowing air over buckets of ice into their rooms, thereby creating the first air-conditioned hospital ward. It was Dr. Gorrie\'s search for a way to save the lives of his patients that resulted in an invention that has greatly impacted life around the world.
In 1848, Dr. Gorrie applied for a patent for his invention and Patent No. 8080 was issued in 1851 for the "first machine ever to be used for mechanical refrigeration and air conditioning."
Dr. Gorrie\'s invention continues to have a tremendous impact on the way the world lives and works. Although he remains unrecognized by most, those actively involved in the HVAC business, including employees of Dynamic, should rightly be aware of and acknowledge Dr. Gorrie\'s contribution.
Milestones in the field of air conditioning :
- In 1901, the New York Stock Exchange served as a laboratory for the advancement of air conditioning
- In 1911, the Folies Bergere Theater in New York installed the first air conditioning system in a theater.
- After World War II ended in 1945, air conditioning became part of the average American home.
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