The process of preserving food has been one that has challenged the human race for countless generations. From salting to pickling, the act of manipulating food so that it lasts through harsher environments has been crucial to ensuring survival. However, the invention of the first fridge in the 1700s marked a drastic change in the ways people were able to keep food, and has since evolved into modern times to be one of the sought appliances for the home; many could not imagine living without owning a fridge.
Chemist and physicist William Cullen created the first fridge cooling system whilst he was working and studying at the University of Glasgow in 1756; at it's core was a vapor cooling compression device that was ground breaking at the time. This first fridge existed academically for quite some time and was not improved upon until nearly a hundred years later when Dr. John Gorrie demonstrated to an university audience the first experimental ice making device. This device, coupled with Cullen's vapor cooling device was the the basis for the very first ice box, which by the earlier 1900s, were in a third to a half of all American homes. These ice boxes were generally effective at storing food at a stable temperature, although were expensive to use due to the cost of purchasing large blocks of ice to ensure the cold temperature within.
KitchenAid
In 1911, American company General Electric released the world's first commercial fridges to the market, that utilized a sulfur dioxide cooling process. These particular fridges were incredibly expensive; at a cost of close to one thousand US dollars, they were, at the time, approximately twice the cost of a car.
General Electric continued to refine and upgrade the fridges they offered to the public, and by 1923, they released the 'Monitor Top,' which, due to it's more affordable nature than previous models, sold over one million in it's those early few years, and has been regarded as the first mass produced modern fridge unit.
In the 1930s, the discovery and utilization of freon led to the creating of even more effective fridges, which were, after the Second World War, mass produced within USA, England and Australia. However, since then scientists have discovered the harmful nature of freon (in particular with CFCs), and the production of these types of fridges is now banned.
These days, a modern fridge seems to be more high tech and based in science fiction than reality, as they are on the cutting edge of technology due to competition in the refrigeration industry. Decked out with LED lights, stainless steel cases and endless internal gadgets, they really are a sight to behold and seem monolithic next to the humble ice box. Nonetheless, they are a necessity in all of our lives, and have had a massive impact on society since they were first received by the public.
The History of the Fridge