Question

How AC Changed Everything
Creating Connections Social Studies: US History II



What are the sounds of summer? The chirps of birds. Splashes from the pool. Also, the steady drip of air conditioner water falling from bedroom windows. Air conditioning (AC) has given us the ability to keep our homes constantly cool. And that's not all. It has proved to be one of the most important innovations in history. This single invention had a huge effect on the development of the United States.

Before AC, many people tried whatever they could to escape the heat of summer. Some moved from humid and warm climates to places that were drier and cooler. But millions of people remained in places where July and August could be uncomfortable at best. In states like Florida, it never seemed to cool off very much. Houses in year-round hot states were designed to stay naturally cool. They had high ceilings. Windows were built in places that would help air flow. Front porches were deep and shaded. These houses often had separate cooking and living areas. That kept hot ovens from roasting the rest of the house. People just lived differently, too. They took naps during the hottest part of the day. Swimming and sleeping outside helped. So did wearing light clothing and sipping cold lemonade.

Then came the air conditioner. AC was invented in 1902 to prevent magazine pages from getting sticky in humid environments. But it was quickly put to work doing something much more useful—cooling people down. Large buildings and hospitals were the first to use it. Next came the homes of the wealthy, and then movie theaters. After World War II, AC started to be built into the homes of everyday people, too.

Now houses could be kept at a comfortable, consistent temperature. People could live just about anywhere. And huge numbers of them chose the Sunbelt, a region that stretches across the southern U.S. After World War II, states like Florida, California, Texas, Arizona, Georgia, and New Mexico saw big population booms. Professionals, retirees, and immigrants flocked there. They were attracted to the mild winters and newly bearable summers. In 1950, only 28 percent of Americans lived in this area. But by 2000, that number was up to 40 percent!

These new arrivals needed places to work. Many of them chose the growing aerospace, defense, and information technology industries. All of these businesses relied on computers. Early computers tended to get very hot. It's unlikely that tech companies would have developed in places like California and Texas without AC.

Air conditioning also played a role in the growth of the American suburb. Houses no longer needed those expensive high ceilings, airy windows, and front porches. Builders could mass produce cheap, centrally cooled houses that were widely affordable.

The flow of cool air also changed how people went about their days. For many, gone were the afternoon naps. Also gone were the long hours spent on the porch, chatting with neighbors. Instead, families gathered in climate-controlled living rooms. They watched another invention that became popular in the 1950s: television.

Air conditioning has brought many positive changes. But there are negatives too. As AC units hum, they have a big environmental impact. The effects come both directly through the greenhouse gases put out by refrigerants, and indirectly through the use of electricity. Data show that AC units in the U.S. today consume an estimated 20 to 30 percent of all electricity. That electricity relies primarily on burning fossil fuels to generate power. And burning fossil fuels produces large quantities of carbon dioxide, which is a significant contributor to climate change.

Air conditioners changed life in America in so many ways. But not without a cost.

Question 3


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According to the Article, which of these happened before the invention of air conditioning?


The information technology industry began to develop in places like California and Texas.
Houses were designed to stay naturally cool with high ceilings.
Builders produced cheap, centrally cooled houses that were widely affordable.
The southern U.S. saw big population booms with many people flocking there.

Answer 1

Houses were designed to stay naturally cool with high ceilings.

The article states that before AC, houses in hot states were built with features like high ceilings, shaded porches, and windows positioned for airflow to keep them naturally cool.