Willis Carrier: The Father of Air Conditioning It's a hot, humid evening in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and you find yourself dripping with sweat. The air is still and you cling to the sheets as you roll over and try to sleep in your home that has retained all the warmth of the summer sun's rays. Uncomfortable and unhappy, you think to yourself, “How did people ever live without air conditioning?” yours has gone haywire and you can't imagine what your life would be like if you didn't have the luxury of an air conditioner in your home. If it weren't for Willis Carrier and his revolutionary invention of a mechanical air conditioning unit in 1902, our lives would be drastically different. Willis Haviland Carrier was a mechanical engineer born in Angola, New York, on November 26, 1876. Carrier was born into an interesting lifeline as a descendant of a family that had been tormented by the infamous Salem witch trials of the late 1600s. However, unlike many extraordinary individuals throughout history, Carrier was not a prodigy. Although it was evident that Carrier had always enjoyed "tinkering" with contraptions from an early age, Carrier was not always the brightest of his peers. As a matter of fact, it has been said that Carrier attributes much of his success to his inability to understand fractions at an early age. To allow his mother to instill the concept in his head, she cut an apple into several “fractional sections” to allow him to visualize how the components made up a whole. According to his company's website, "this lesson was the most important he ever learned because it taught him the value of intelligent problem solving." It was said that it was “not particularly suitable… middle of the paper… it was also a much cheaper alternative. The transition to residential air conditioning began with the move into department stores, then apartment buildings, and even the ice skating rink at Madison Square Garden! The evolution was slowed by the Great Depression, but it eventually took off and led to air conditioning units becoming widespread in every home as it is today. It goes without saying that if it weren't for Carrier and his mind, we would be living a different lifestyle today. Whether it's the way products are manufactured, foods refrigerated, homes cooled, or our medications kept at a safe temperature, Carrier's invention plays a huge role in our daily lives. I think he would be quite pleased with how far his technology has come today, and continues to grow, as it is so common that we might take it for granted on a hot, humid Pittsburgh night..