2006年NPR美国国家公共电台八月-The Cool History of the Air Conditioner

Temperatures in some parts of the country have eased a bit over the weekend. But there is no risk that throngs 1 of people are suddenly going to turn their backs on air-conditioning. The air-conditioner has established itself well in the hearts of Americans. The first widespread use of air-conditioners came during the 1920s when movie theaters used what they called man-made weather to lure 2 customers to the silver screen. After World War II, the cost for air-conditioners started to come down and manufacturers advertised them as for the millions not just for millionaires. Deborah Hawkins knows how to keep cool. She's chairman of the Air-Conditioner and Refrigeration Institute. We called her at her office in Fort Worth, Texas where the temperature this weekend is a balmy, low-100s. Welcome to the program.

Well, thank you.

I assume you've got your air-conditioner going great guns.

Oh, yes, we do. Full blast in fact.

All right. Take us back, ah, where was the first air-conditioned movie theater in the United States?

Ah, Well, it's, ah, probably in the Central Park Theater in Chicago, Illinois. Willis Carrier, considered the king of cool and the founder 3 of air-conditioning, actually sold his inventions to movie theater operators during the late teens and early 20s. And this was one of the first ones to receive it. And they actually had some of the largest audiences than anywhere else in the country as you can imagine.

So does, does the air-conditioner get credit or maybe the blame, um, for the advent 4 of summer blockbusters?

Um, both, I think it gets both. Definitely the term was coined because people were trying to get away from the heat and during the, the summer months and they came in, in droves to get out of that into the cool air and watch movies because that was probably the only event that allowed them to do that at that time.

And it also, I assume, allowed the theaters to stay open during the summer.

All year long, all year long, well before they were primarily just open from November to May.

What were some of the other early places to be cooled down by air-conditioning?

Well, er, right after the movie theaters, the government buildings in Washington D.C were air-conditioned. It started with the US House of Representatives building, the Senate Building, even the White House and it's funny too because prior to that, the lawmakers only worked from ah, November to May, and then they dispersed 5, you know, went home. And it's funny because most people say this may or may not have been a good idea to allow them to work 12 months out of the year.

When did air-conditioning become a staple 6 of the middle class?

Well, actually it started in the 50s when sales exceeded over one million units. And then at each decade, it increased enormously to where now today, probably 82% of all homes either have room air-conditioning units or central air-conditioning units in America.

Deborah Hawkins is chairman of the Air-Conditioner and Refrigeration Institute. Thanks a lot, keep cool.

【WORRD BANK】
balmy
balmy air, weather etc is warm and pleasant
synonym mild a balmy summer night
be going great guns
informal to be doing something extremely well
After a slow start, the Tigers are going great guns.
(at) full blast
as powerfully or loudly as possible
I had the gas fire going full blast . The radio was on at full blast .
staple
the main product that is produced in a country
Bananas and sugar are the staples 7 of Jamaica.