By: Nia Williams
The conveniences we enjoy today in our homes are the result of the many inventions of the people before us. They saw a problem and developed a solution, by dedicating countless hours of research and problem solving methods the proceeding generations can lead a simpler life without the worry. This applies greatly to the invention of the refrigerator. For decades people have been practicing inconvenient refrigeration techniques to prevent food spoilage but in 1834 Jacob Perkins built the first practical refrigerating machine through the ideas he encountered from other people. He modified the findings of Oliver Evans’s invention, the vapor-compression refrigeration and then built his idea of the refrigerator unit.
Before Perkins development in 1834, ice was the only convenience of keeping foods cool. Most people would load wagonloads of ice into icehouses or use the canning method which involved salting and pickling to protect the food as long as they could. Iceboxes were also used which resembled the appliance we know today. These boxes were small wooden and cupboard like. Ice was simply placed into the boxes sometimes lined with metal, sawdust, or even seaweed to trap cold temperatures inside. Common people did what was necessary to have an icebox of their own.
Due to this being such an inconvenience Perkins development would began the change in the average household for decades to come. Jacob Perkins with the help of John Hague developed Perkins idea which was more of an experiment if anything else. The basic function of the early refrigeration used ammonia and ether too very dangerous substances in a recycling method of condensing and compressing heat in the air into liquid form. Although Perkins refrigerator completed the task of keeping foods cool there was some much needed modification. Like many other inventions the refrigerator began to evolve more, because ether and ammonia are dangerous Carl von