16. Willis Carrier changed the way people live and work
In 1902 Willis Carrier invented the first electrical air conditioning system, and thirteen years later he started a company to manufacture and sell comfort systems to businesses and homes. Air cooling systems existed before Carrier’s, but he added the feature of humidity control, which made his systems conditioners of air, rather than merely coolers of air. World Wars and the Great Depression were obstacles which made his company’s growth slow until the post-World War II construction boom, and it eventually became one of the largest employers in upstate New York. Air conditioning changed the way the world lived in more ways than one, and what was once considered a luxury is now considefed a necessity of life throughout much of the world.
