How Did People Survive Before AC?

This heat is finally getting to me.  I watched a western the other night and could only think about how hot is must have been for them cowboys.  Then I flipped over to a History Channel piece on the Crusades. I imagined that a guy in a suit of armor fighting in 1147 would fry like a corn dog walking across the desert. So, I turned off the television and continued my own crusade to save plants that weren’t meant to survive weeks of 100+ temperatures.

Even the most optimistic Texans must admit that it is exceptionally hot this summer. We have survived about 38 days of 100+ days so far and will hopefully not break the record of 71 days set in 2011 or 69 scorching days in 1980.  Speaking of 1980, it was a doozie. The local record of 113 degrees was set that summer on June 26. There were also 42 consecutive days of 100+ degree days in 1980. For those who revel in the misery of others, the hottest temperature ever recorded in Texas was 120 degrees in Monahans in 1994.

All this talk about heat begs the question “how did people survive in Texas before air conditioning?”  Cultures have been surviving in hot climates for thousands of years and early Texans adopted many of the same strategies they used.

Homes were built with thick walls to keep the heat out and high ceilings to let the heat rise. They were also positioned so that breezes could pass through open windows and hallways.  Folks often slept outdoors or on porches during the heat of summer. One cowboy trick that some might question was soaking their sheets in cool water before bedtime.

Once electricity was added to the equation, fans helped millions survive those hot nights.  The whirring of fans was constant in homes and hotel rooms in the summer months. Fans also led to creative inventions that cooled the air. The most popular was the swamp cooler. The air conditioner was invented in 1902 but was considered too expensive for regular folks until the early 1960’s.  In the meantime, blowing a fan across water was a quick way to drop the temperature and recreate swamp humidity in your home.

When all else failed, there was always the movies – at least in the 20^th Century. The first air-conditioned theater was in Times Square (NYC) in 1925. The head of Paramount Pictures, Adolph Zukor, was in the audience and quickly realized the potential. People flocked to theaters for good and bad movies to enjoy a few hours of popcorn and cool breezes. The banner “cooled by refrigeration” became more important than the movie title.

Central air conditioning was built into most new homes starting in the 1960’s but those with older homes like ours settled for room units that blasted cold air and shook the walls. We had one wall unit that cooled our downstairs. Unfortunately, we slept upstairs. On the hottest days though, sleeping bags were rolled out and the Carroll family camped out for the heat wave in the dining room just like the cowboys – sort of.

Instead of complaining about the heat this week, take time to appreciate the struggles your parents and generations before them faced in the Texas heat. Then head to nearest movie theater for some popcorn and cool breezes.

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