Willis Carrier

It might be fair to say that this gentleman invented the modern air conditioner as we know it. However, it must be pointed out that Dr. John Gorrie patented a machine that cooled rooms in 1851. The difference was that he had no commercial success, whereas in 1902 Willis Carrier did. Between the two - in 1881 - a team of scientists including explorer John Wesley Powell put together an air conditioner in the White House to help alleviate the sufferings of President Garfield after he was shot. So there you have it. This is true American history that you may not have learned in school.