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The Ice Box
In the year 1805, US inventor Oliver Evans, designed the first refrigeration machine that didn't use liquid but vapor instead to cool. -
Freezer
The first commercial ice-making machine, built by Jacob Parkins, was invented in 1854. -
Ammonia
In 1859, France’s Ferdinand Carré created a more advanced system that used ammonia as a coolant; the earlier vapor-compression machines used air. The ammonia worked well, but was toxic if it leaked. -
Electric Refrigerator
Fred W. Wolf invented the first commercially viable electric refrigerator in the United States in 1913, the DOMELRE, an air-cooled refrigeration unit, was mounted on top of an icebox. -
The Revision
In 1915, Alfred Mellowes designed an electric refrigeration unit that differed from other refrigerators because it was self-contained; the compressor was in the bottom of the cabinet. -
Frigidare
W.C. Durant, who was president of General Motors, eventually purchased the Guardian Refrigerator Company privately, and the business was renamed Frigidaire. Frigidaire refrigerator was completed in September 1918 in Detroit. -
Industrialization
By 1929, 1 million refrigerators had been produced, a marked improvement from the early years. -
The Refrigerator We Know Today
The 1940’s brought the refrigerator we recognize today.The refrigerator of the 1940's brought safe food storage to the American home, and set a standard of food safety. -
The Present
Today, the refrigerator is America's most used appliance, found in more than 99.5% of American homes
