The first known ice cellars were made by digging holes in the ground, built with straw and wood, and filled by ice and snow. In that period, refrigeration was done by a handmade machine known as an “ice box”
The first known artificial refrigeration was demonstrated by Scottish professor William Cullen at the University of Glasgow in 1748.
American Jacob Perkins invented the first vapor compression system in 1834, while German professor Carl von Linde patented a new process for liquefying gases in the late 1800s.
In 1857 the first gas freezer was invented and used ammonia and sulphur dioxide as a means of cooling the air to below zero inside the machine. This allowed for the production of ice.
The first ice making machine used for practical food purposes such as meat packing and brewing was invented by James Harrison in 1857. This same concept was made more complex in 1859 by Ferdinand Carre in 1859. This newly developed system didn’t use compressed air to cool, but instead used ammonia.
In 1913, American Fred W. Wolf of Fort Wayne, Indiana invented the first home electric refrigerator, which featured a refrigeration unit on top of an icebox. Nathaniel B. Wales of Detroit, Michigan invented in 1914 electric refrigeration unit.
Alfred Mellowes made his in 1916 but was bought out by William C. Durant in 1918 who later started the Frigidaire Company. In 1918 appeared refrigerator by Kelvinator Company that had automatic control.
Many different types of gases were tested over time and it was not until the discovery of Freon that fridges and freezers became widespread and a common fixture found in the home. Only decades later, would people realize that these chlorofluorocarbons endangered the ozone layer of the entire planet.
History of freezer
