Climate Control: A History of Heating and Cooling
[This episode was originally broadcast in 2010.]
Summer and movies go together like peaches and cream. And that association is not just the product of Hollywood marketing: movie theaters were among the first places to install central air conditioning. In the early decades of the 20th century, the public flocked to the movies to escape August heat waves, and the tradition has stuck.
In this episode, the History Guys consider the advent of air conditioning, and explore its far-reaching implications on everything from architecture and leisure to demography and politics. They also look at what happened when stoves became widely available in the mid-19th century, and how technology altered Americans’ way of life. How did America become the “land of comfort”? And what lessons does the history of climate control hold for us today?
Guests Include:
- Dan Filene, blogger at Cold House Journal
- Howell Harris, Professor of History at Durham University
- Gail Cooper, Associate Professor of History at Lehigh University
Further Exploration
- Resources galore! Peruse a list of outside sources compiled by the BackStory team to offer a more complete picture of the history of heating and cooling in the United States, and consult the bibliography of sources used in the making of this episode.
- Listen to individual show segments.
Even Further
- See the discussion that helped shape this episode.
8 Responses
Trackbacks & Pingbacks
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Climate Control: Further Reading | BackStory with the American History Guys :
[...] The following links and documents relate to the BackStory episode “Climate Control: A History of Heating & Cooling”, originally broadcast in March of 2010. You can listen to the entire episode here. [...]
Quote -- August 14, 2012 @ 1:36 pm -
Climate Control: Show Segments | BackStory with the American History Guys :
[...] The following are individual show segments included in the BackStory episode “Climate Control: A History of Heating and Cooling”, revised and rebroadcast in August 2012. You can listen to the entire episode here. [...]
Quote -- August 20, 2012 @ 2:02 pm -
Good Morning check in - Page 4136 :
[...] (she did the coffee honors all week) Back to bed, dreading the next bronchitis cough listen to a climate control history link mentioned by another AS member Jon1270 Maybe burn some wood [...]
Quote -- March 3, 2013 @ 10:28 am
an important American from Maine did much for changing climate in the US and Europe. He did make a major political error.
QuoteAsk the 18th Century guy about Count Rumford, a redesigner of the fireplace.
Ask the 19th century guy about one of the most famous Twain essays on the comfort of the the German stove. A major reader and converser he discussed the ease of use of the stove.
Now the radio is talking about ice, the Mainiacs ( Maine residents in a very local jargon) were cutting trees, making sawdust and cutting ice. They shipped it to India for gin and tonics. (not for Katherine Moore)
QuoteThe guy who invented refrigeration (air con) is one Florida’s two statues in Statuary Hall.
QuoteSometimes the AC unit quits working at my home, i might as well go to the movies to beat the heat like the old days. God! I need to find a reliable technician to repair my unit.
QuoteMost of the Movie theater are using central air conditioning but nowadays most of the places they are using central air conditioning, even many restaurant and bars also using the same;.
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