Carrier Celebrates Anniversary of Modern Air Conditioning and Legacy of Innovation

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Jul 16, 2014, 08:34 ET

FARMINGTON, Conn., July 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The sweltering summer heat that threatens to bring everything to a standstill each year doesn't, thanks to a 1902 innovation that changed the way the world lives, works and plays. Designed to solve a production problem at a Brooklyn print shop, Dr. Willis H. Carrier's July 17 invention launched an industry that continues to pioneer advanced comfort solutions. Carrier, the world's leader in high technology heating, air-conditioning and refrigeration solutions, is a part of UTC Building & Industrial Systems, a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX).

This blueprint, the result of Willis Carrier's groundbreaking design, was submitted to Sackett & Wilhelms on July 17, 1902, and provided the basis for the first modern air conditioning system. (PRNewsFoto/Carrier Corp.)

Carrier's invention 112 years ago for the Sackett & Wilhelms Lithography and Printing Company tackled an industry-wide issue — changes in the summer humidity caused paper to swell and shrink, misaligning the color, which was applied one layer at a time. Now, Carrier products keep people comfortable in their homes, productive at work, and keep their food cool and safe on trucks and on store shelves.

In the years since its invention, modern air conditioning has made office buildings more productive and comfortable, reducing street noise and dust from open windows. It helped launch the "summer blockbuster" — before Carrier cooled New York City's Rivoli Theatre in 1925, theaters suffered low turnout during the summer due to the heat. And air conditioning was critical in advancing modern technology, cooling the data centers that power the Internet and today's global economy.

"Willis Carrier's innovation has shaped the world for more than a century," said Geraud Darnis, president, UTC Building & Industrial Systems. "Today, the men and women of Carrier continue that legacy by making our products even smarter and more sustainable."

From Carrier's 1902 blueprint of an industry to today's most energy efficient innovations, Carrier continues to pioneer creations that make life better. Since 2000, Carrier products have avoided more than 150 million metric tons of carbon dioxide through advancements in energy efficiency, the equivalent of removing more than 31 million passenger vehicles from the road for one year.

The complete history of modern air conditioning is available in Weathermakers to the World and on WillisCarrier.com. Follow @WillisCarrier on Twitter for more historic facts.

About Carrier

Founded by the inventor of modern air conditioning, Carrier is the world's leader in high-technology heating, air-conditioning and refrigeration solutions. Carrier experts provide sustainable solutions, integrating energy-efficient products, building controls and energy services for residential, commercial, retail, transport and food service customers. Carrier is a part of UTC Building & Industrial Systems, a unit of United Technologies Corp., a leading provider to the aerospace and building systems industries worldwide. For more information, visit www.carrier.com or follow @CarrierGreen on Twitter.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140715/127211

SOURCE Carrier Corp.