U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for July 22: Chilling Out

WASHINGTON, July 22, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

CHILLING OUT

Profile America ? Saturday, July 22nd. With the nation's average hottest day of the year coming up next week, many of us welcome ducking into a cool office, business or home. For this relief, we can thank Willis Carrier, who in the depths of winter in 1906 received a patent for what he called an "apparatus for treating air." He launched his own company 102 years ago this month, and the Carrier name is still prominent among air-conditioning manufacturers. The invention did not come into widespread use until after World War II. Even by 1965, only 10 percent of homes in the United States were equipped, and just 2.8 million window air conditioners were manufactured that year. Today, 93 percent of all new, single-family houses in the United States are air-conditioned. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at <www.census.gov>.

Sources:
Average warmest day/accessed 5/2/2017: http://raycomnbc.worldnow.com/story/29625815/national-climatic-data-center-calls-july-24-hottest-day-of-the-year 
Carrier's patent/accessed 5/2/2017: www.freepatentsonline.com/0808897.pdf 
Carrier company founded/accessed 5/2/2017: www.williscarrier.com/about.php 
1965 air conditioning/accessed 5/2/2017: www.ipwatchdog.com/2014/06/20/the-evolution-of-air-conditioning-technology/id=50138/ 
1965 window air conditioners: Historical Statistics of the United States: Colonial Times to 1970, p. 694: www2.census.gov/library/publications/1975/compendia/hist_stats_colonial-1970/hist_stats_colonial-1970p2-chP.pdf 
New housing and air conditioning:
www.census.gov/construction/chars/pdf/aircond.pdf 

Profile America is produced by the Center for New Media and Promotion of the U.S. Census Bureau. Statistics and accounts drawn from cited non-Census sources are employed for illustrative or narrative purposes, and are not attested to by the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for "Audio" in the "Library" pull-down menu). 

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau