Air conditioning: The cure for the summertime blues 

Writer’s note: Before we start, I want to wish a happy 91^st birthday to my grandfather, Edward Young. His work ethic and dedication to his family has been a constant inspiration, and it was in his home, fighting over the comic pages with my brother and cousins, that my love of newspapers began. His life experience and the stories he’s shared have often inspired this space and they always will. 

A user of the popular forum social media site Reddit posed the following question not too long ago: Before air conditioning was common, how did people live?

I’m assuming this person meant to ask how people cooled off before air conditioning became widespread. Certainly, they understood that humans have been thriving long before the invention of circulated refrigerated air. But you know what assuming does. 

Below the post were dozens of replies and comments describing heat-beating measures people took before central cooling systems became a staple in homes across the country. People reminisced about sleeping outside at night, opened windows to allow for a breeze during the day and the use of fans, both handheld and electric. There were, of course, disagreements about climate change and quips on heat acclimation, but you can expect no less from the internet. 

I’m a big fan of air conditioning. Like most people, I’ve grown accustomed to the convenience of personal climate control. All the places I’ve called home, from the dwellings of my childhood to my current quarters, have had central AC. There are few feelings worse than coming home after a long day of work or waking up in the dead of night to a hot house due to a malfunctioning unit.

Famed Southern author William Faulkner despised air conditioners. He installed every modern convenience in his Mississippi Greek Revival home except AC. He crafted characters in his novels with the same opinion. However, Faulkner wasn’t cold in the ground before his wife was cooling off with a window unit, having had one installed the day after his death. 

Aretha Franklin, possibly the greatest American voice to ever grace the stage, once stopped performing during a live set because someone switched on the air conditioning. The R&B singer was worried the cool air would affect her voice. She didn’t return to the mic until it was switched off. What the Queen of Soul wants, the Queen of Soul gets. 

Air conditioning is a relatively new advancement in the big scheme of things. The first residential unit was installed in 1914, but it wasn’t until the 1960s that the technology became widely popular. There are still plenty of people around that know what it is like to live without air conditioning. I’d wager most of them don’t want to go back in time. 

There has been much debate over the pros and cons of using air conditioning. Cons include excess energy consumption and respiratory problems caused by the constantly moving air. Pros include comfort and not smelling like sweaty socks all day. 

As hot as it has been lately, I’ll gladly bump down the thermostat.