SYRACUSE, N.Y., May 15 /PRNewswire/ -- He's one of America's greatest inventors. But unlike Edison, Ford, Bell or the Wright Brothers, his remarkable accomplishment has never been fully recognized. He made indoor sports and summer blockbuster movies possible. His invention facilitated the growth of the microchip and pharmaceutical industries. Some even credit him for the rise of the New South and the Sun Belt. He's Dr. Willis H. Carrier, the inventor of modern air conditioning. And with Father's Day approaching, the Carrier Corporation intends to make sure the original "Father of Cool" is properly honored.
One hundred years ago this summer, Carrier, a gifted young engineer, invented modern air conditioning, making the world a much cooler place in which to live. On July 17, 1902 he designed the first system that provided man-made control over temperature, humidity, ventilation and indoor air quality as a solution to the quality problems experienced at a Brooklyn, N.Y. printing plant, Sackett-Wilhelms Lithographing and Publishing Company.
For Father's Day 2002, the Carrier Corporation, which still proudly bears his name, is launching a special Web site ( www.fatherofcool.com ) as a tribute to Dr. Carrier. It's a place where people can celebrate the accomplishments of this great unsung "Father of Cool," as well as pay homage to their own "cool" dads.
"Despite the immense impact of air conditioning on humankind, Willis Carrier is still surprisingly unknown," said Geraud Darnis, president, Carrier Corporation. "We think he should rightfully be viewed by historians and the public as one of the world's greatest inventors. A humble but determined man, he truly changed the way we work and live."
On Carrier Corporation's special FatherofCool.com Web site, visitors can read articles about how Dr. Carrier's 100-year old invention and subsequent innovations have dramatically changed the world. The site will also feature never before published personal memories of Dr. Carrier's life from Edna M. Littlehales, a young adult who lost her father at age 11 and that the "Father of Cool" took in and supported through marriage. Now 80 years young, Mrs. Littlehales will share her fondest memories of Dr. Carrier, whom she considers a father figure, over several installments during the next few weeks.
The FatherofCool.com Web site will also serve as a living tribute to all fathers. Visitors can post stories that tell the world why their dads are cool, read and share other engaging tales, print out a special "cool" certificate of merit to present to their dads on Father's Day and enter a drawing to win a limited edition "Father of Cool" t-shirt.
Celebrating 100 years of innovation and the invention of scientific air conditioning by its founder, Willis Haviland Carrier, Carrier Corporation is the world's largest manufacturer of heating, air conditioning and refrigeration systems and equipment. It is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation (NYSE: UTX - News), provider of a broad range of high-technology products and support services to the aerospace and building systems industries.
SOURCE: Carrier Corporation