Domestic fridge is a machine for keeping things cold. It is sometimes called a fridge or an icebox. People put food and drinks in it, to keep those items cold or good (unspoiled) for a longer time. The history of artificial refrigeration began when Scottish professor William Cullen designed a small refrigerating machine in 1755 although it wasn’t widely used. The first refrigerator to see widespread use was the General Electric "Monitor-Top" refrigerator introduced in 1927.
Before the invention of the refrigerator, ice houses were used to provide cool storage for most of the year. Placed near freshwater lakes or packed with snow and ice during the winter, they were once very common. However, after the arrival of fridges, food can be preserved for a longer period of time without relying on the nature. The refrigerator increased the efficiency of the icebox while ending the problem of melting ice in the kitchen. The invention of the refrigerator raised the quality of life for many people in the new urban cities that were emerging at the beginning of the 20th century, simply because it offered people the opportunity to eat better foods.
The widespread of fridges allowed people to buy and store fresh food products in a safer environment. As a result people were able to consume better foods for example fresh produce, eggs, and meats. Moreover, the mass production of fridges in the assembly line contributed to the economic prosperity as a wide range of industries required fridges. Fridge plays a significant role in our daily life in which food becomes easy-reached and it makes our life more convenient.
SPICE
Interaction between human and the environment- science and technology: the invention of fridges extend the duration of food and replace the traditional ice houses. We can tell from the invention that people at the beginning of 20th century already had an excess of food in which a better way of food preservation was needed.
Social- The quality of life improved due to the mass migration from rural to urban areas encouraged by better foods.
Economy- Fridge industries made a large amount of profit due to the widespread of fridges in both industries and individual houses.
left: the first refrigerating machine
right: modern fridge
History of Refrigeration. (2015). Retrieved from
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