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Prehistoric men and women, when not fighting off their enemies or predators, spent
most of their waking hours hunting and foraging for food. They had little choice since
bacteria and molds would rapidly spoil the food, once obtained, especially in the warmer
climates. With time, they learned how to prolong the utility
of their food supply by drying, smoking, boiling, pickling or salting it. However, these
techniques often caused changes in taste and texture, and probably reduced the food's
nutritional value. |
| Those members of that ancient society living in the
more temperate climates probably noticed that food did not spoil so quickly during cold
weather, and that frozen food remained edible for quite a long time. Food storage in caves
and cold cellars could be used effectively as the temperature warmed. |
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[Right-click on images for a larger view] |
The situation did not improve much through the ages
until the mid-19th century. Techniques of preserving ice by crude forms of insulation,
such as straw, and shipping it to warmer climates were developed. Ice boxes, containing
blocks of ice, were still in use in the 1940s. |
| The ice was delivered door-to-door by wagons, often drawn by a horse. Often, in poorer communities, it was not uncommon to see small cabinets on the
outside of kitchen windows where food was stored during the winter months.
This ChemCases.com discussion shows how
engineering and chemistry, working together, led to mechanical refrigeration as a means to
preserve food and other perishable materials, with the additional benefit of making work more efficient and living more
comfortable through air conditioning. Finally, it shows how, based on chemical
structure-reactivity relationships, new refrigerants have been selected to be compatible
with the earth's protective ozone layer.
 Video about the Ice Box, 1928 |
A 1902 Patent Issued for an Overflow Alarm for
an Ice Box Water Pan
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