Carrier Context:
History

  What's In A Name?

Willis H. Carrier is called the father of air conditioning, but the term's genesis is traced to a textile engineer, Stuart H. Cramer.

Cramer, of Charlotte N.C., used the term "air conditioning" in a patent claim filed for a device that added water vapor to the air in textile plants to "condition" the yarn. In May, 1906, before a convention of cotton manufacturers, Cramer said: "I have used the term 'air conditioning' to include humidifying and air cleaning and heating and ventilation."

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