Funny Holidays - Refrigerator Birthday

August 8th is considered the birthday of the refrigerator throughout the world It was on August 8, 1899 that the American Albert Marshall was granted a patent for an automatic food cooling device More than 120 years have passed since then, and now the refrigerator has firmly taken its place in every kitchen The range of current manufacturers includes many models of such devices, from large industrial ones to compact portable ones Modern refrigerators are very different from those you could buy 100 years ago But the first cooling devices appeared long before 1899 As far back as ancient Persia, people attempted to create devices that would help them keep food fresh Their role was played by special structures with very thick multi-layer walls The role of the main heat-insulating element was assigned to animal fur The structures were filled with ice delivered from mountain glaciers and food was stored in them Of course, ordinary residents could not use these benefits of civilization - the prototypes of modern refrigerators were available only to representatives of the nobility Serious improvements in food refrigeration units occurred only in the 19th century in France Then two brothers Ferdinand and Edmond Carré developed a machine that produced up to two hundredweight of ice per hour It operated on a mixture of water and ammonia and did not have a compressor Such a device had to be heated with wood or coal By the way, one of the first refrigeration machines produced in Russia at the beginning of the 20th century worked on the same principle It was called "Eskimo" and was officially called an ice-making machine In one cycle of operation it was capable of turning up to 12 liters of water into ice The first production of refrigerators specifically for home use began in 1910 in America But due to the complex and expensive manufacturing process, the price of such devices was very high, almost unaffordable for the average family It was equal to the cost of two Ford cars Therefore, the manufacturing company was able to sell only 40 cooling machines, after which it went bankrupt In the USSR, mass production of refrigerators began in 1951 at the Moscow Automobile Plant The legendary Moscow refrigerators earned recognition from citizens due to their high quality - they were able to work properly for up to 50 years This durability is due to careful execution and a large number of metal parts The first models of Soviet refrigerators were not available to a large number of the population As of 1962, only 5% of Soviet families had household cooling appliances In private houses they were replaced by cellars, and in apartments there were special niches under the windowsill Modern refrigerators are becoming increasingly automated They integrate into the smart home system, receive signals from a smartphone, and order products from online stores There is even a function to block the device for a certain time of day Thus, it will not allow the owner to eat harmful foods at night This is a good option for those who want to lose weight, but are not strong-willed and cannot limit themselves “Smart” refrigerators are already being produced by almost all market leaders and, apparently, they will soon displace the traditional models that are familiar to everyone