What Did People Do Before Air Conditioning?

[2ADMNLOVER]

Must be Global Warming Best Answer - We Sweated Very Few had AC in home or businesses. The department stores had those slow moving ceiling fans. AC was an expensive option on autos and many had no AC. AM radio Only because there was No FM. We Survived

I lived in a small piece of nothing Tx. town just like this growing up . Summer days spent catching craw dads and scorpions .

 

[spec4]

Just lived with it. A floor fan was a big deal. In a car the windows were all opened. In 1960 I had a girl friend who lived in an air conditioned house because her father had a heart condition. It was quite rare then.

 

[HoughMade]

I have't had air conditioning in my office all week. The windows do not open. Yesterday my office was 96 degrees, high humidity and only fans for air movement.

i survived. It's even worse today if for no other reason than it is really nice outside....still in the 90s in the office.

 

[JettaKnight]

The answer is, "be less productive."

Fifty Things That Made The Modern Economy: Air Conditioning

 

[indiucky]

I have an idea.....

Our little white farmhouse out in Perry County is a 1 BR L-Shaped frame house set on natural stone....There is about a foot or foot and a half of crawl space...The doors are VERY wide compared to modern doors...There is one leading outside to the porch from the bedroom....And the front door is literally right caddy corner (a foot away, two feet and most) on the porch as well.....Directly across the living room is another wide door that opens onto the screened in back porch....Whenever a breeze comes through, whether from the west, down the holler from the east, north or south it WILL go through the entire house....We stay up there every weekend in the summer and it is manageable......I can only assume it was designed that way....The house was built in the 1890's and is perfectly aligned by the compass to where the front faces west....

I notice if we do not have ALL doors open that the breeze will not go through the house....Plus we have got an old claw foot bathtub beside the barn that we fill with water and will drop a few ice cubes in....I notice if I have a bourbon and a tubby right about dark I am cool until the next day around 11 am....We have 600 foot bluffs behind us and 250 yards in front of us so it takes a bit for the sun to rise enough to be on us all day...

 

[Thor]

Moved north...no one with any sense lived in FL. It's why the pirates hid in the everglades, no one even wanted to chase them there.

 

[Thor]

Also, down in the Caribbean and central America they built homes with thick walls that remained comfortable inside. Can't get out of the climate? Make yourself a cave.

 

[Indy-Mike]

I saw this early today, an eco cooling device that usies no electricity. In developing countries, they use 2 liter bottles and cardboard to cool rooms by about 10 degrees.

Cooling Device Made from 2 Liter Bottles Uses Zero Energy| Interesting Engineering

 

[Kutnupe14]

Geez, not many Southern folks in here. Ice under a fan, or a wet towel over the fan... lots of shade, trees preferably blocking sun's access to home.

 

[Fordtough25]

Sweat? Cut down less trees also I am sure so more shady areas. Win

 

[indiucky]

Geez, not many Southern folks in here. Ice under a fan, or a wet towel over the fan... lots of shade, trees preferably blocking sun's access to home.

Hey Kut,

A buddy of mine moved down south and he said they paint the ceiling of their front porches a sky blue color and it keeps the skeeters and no-seeums away..

Ever heard of that???

 

[cosermann]

I liked those little triangular windows we used to have near the front of doors on pickup trucks. They'd really catch the air and direct it on you in a big way.

 

[natdscott]

Sweat? Cut down less trees also I am sure so more shady areas. Win

Not bloody likely. There was a time in Indiana when we didn't have even 1/2 the trees we do now. Look for old growth, and then KEEP looking, and when you find some to enjoy, remmebr how long it took you to find it and that EVERYthing else has been clear cut.


But in regards to the A/C question, one phrase comes to mind:

HTFU.

-Nate

 

[Tim Enyeart]

We swatted flies. A lot of flies and used fly paper.

 

[4651feeder]

I liked those little triangular windows we used to have near the front of doors on pickup trucks. They'd really catch the air and direct it on you in a big way.

Up north we call those vent wings or wing windows.

Ma used to put a box fan in the window drawing air in on the cool side of the house and another on the warm side pushing it out.

Our first a/c was central back in 1969, a DIY package from Sears. Dad pulled a Tim Taylor on that decision and when all was said and done you could almost freeze ice cubes over the registers.

 

[Benp]

Growing up we had box fans in the windows and ceiling fans overhead.
The cool night air was wonderful relief, plus with the sounds of crickets and frogs in the distance it was great.
Sitting on the front porch with a fly swatter and drinking sweet tea!

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

Hey Kut,

A buddy of mine moved down south and he said they paint the ceiling of their front porches a sky blue color and it keeps the skeeters and no-seeums away..

Ever heard of that???

I remember that. But I never heard that was the reason.

 

[indiucky]

I remember that. But I never heard that was the reason.

Well I can't imagine southerners painting their ceilings "yankee blue" to remind them of Sherman....

 

[JettaKnight]

Air Conditioning? Up here in Canada we have no need.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

Well I can't imagine southerners painting their ceilings "yankee blue" to remind them of Sherman....

More of a Carolina blue than godless-yankee-blue.