Hello and welcome back to the Curious Kid podcast. It's mid-April and the sun is staying out longer each day and the temperatures are rising. These days, it's pretty comfortable outside, but uncomfortable heat is just a few weeks away.

And my daddy does not like the heat. I do not.

Anything above 70 degrees is unnecessary to me. That's why we are discussing one of my favorite

inventions today. This week we're getting curious about air conditioning. Oh sweet, sweet

air conditioning. You make me comfortable on a really hot day. Let's learn about you.

A long time ago, snow and ice were used to keep people cold.

As early as prehistoric times, people would harvest ice and snow for use in the summer heat.

The van were used starting in the second century.

Ding Juan of the Han Dynasty was an inventor, and he invented the rotary fan, which originally had seven large wheels,

each of them 10 feet or 3 meters in diameter. He actually used prisoners

to move the wheels of the fan. There were several advancements in the 18th and 19th centuries

as people like Benjamin Franklin and Michael Faraday experimented in using evaporation to cool objects.

The first air conditioner was created in 1902.

That's right.

But before we jump into modern air conditioners and how they work, what's the question of the week?

The question of the week is what's the hottest city in the world?

And what's the hottest city of the United States?

It's like two questions in one. I can't even imagine what the answers are, but I'm glad I don't live in an area that gets that hot.

So, Willis Carrier created the first modern air conditioner in 1902. His air conditioner

not only cooled the area, but also lowered humidity, making it much more comfortable. Ironically,

he invented the air conditioner in Buffalo, New York, and the first home to have air conditioning was in Minneapolis, Minnesota, 12 years later in 1914.

Neither Buffalo or Minneapolis are known for their oppressive heat.

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