If you live in places such as Southeast Texas during months called “summer,” then you should get down on your knees and thank Willis Carrier.
Everyone hears names of companies such as Ford, Sears, Carrier, Citibank and may or may not know that these corporations were named after real people. James Citibank, for instance, was the son of a Cherokee chieftain named Chief Citibank. People say he got the best interest rates on his loans of anyone they had ever known.
Be that as it may, Willis Carrier is a.k.a. “The Father of Cool,” as he invented the first modern day air conditioner. This was one of those inventions that just didn’t come from nowhere and end up in your living room, such as the Frisbee or the Pet Rock. But Carrier is why we now sweat our arses off when we step outside into the August heat in places such as Texas.
Air conditioning does sort of make it difficult for many to sustain hot temperatures. Those who grew up without air conditioning, as I did, know A/C is both blessing and curse. But on days like today when a little rain comes along and then the 90-degree heat and sunshine knocks the wind out of you, then you truly can give thanks to Willis Carrier.
I think we should have a holiday for him, don’t you think? Perhaps it should be in August and everyone should do things indoors, such as drink a lot of that cold, green beverage with the Mexican name (I am in the public library again and the name of this drink is censored) on the rocks, no salt.