The invention of **air conditioning (AC)** is credited to the **United States**, and the person who is widely recognized as the inventor of modern air conditioning is **Willis Haviland Carrier**.
### Here's a detailed explanation of how it came to be:
---
## **Which country invented AC first?**
### ➤ **The United States of America (USA)**
---
## Who Invented It?
### ➤ **Willis Haviland Carrier**
- **Nationality:** American
- **Year of Invention:** **1902**
- **Place:** Brooklyn, New York, USA
- **Profession:** Engineer
- **Company:** Buffalo Forge Company
---
## Background & Why It Was Invented
Willis Carrier didn’t invent air conditioning just to cool people for comfort, as we use it today. He created it to **control humidity** in a printing plant called **Sackett-Wilhelms Lithographing & Publishing Company** in Brooklyn, New York. The excessive humidity was causing the paper to warp and ink to smear, making high-quality printing difficult.
### ✅ What He Designed:
Carrier designed a system that:
- Controlled **temperature**
- Managed **humidity**
- Filtered **air**
- Circulated **ventilation**
This is what made his invention different from earlier attempts at cooling air. It was **the first true air conditioning system** that could precisely control the environment, not just make it cooler.
---
## ️ How Did It Work?
Carrier’s system used **cooling coils filled with chilled water** to remove moisture from the air (dehumidification), which also helped lower the temperature. The technology was based on the **principles of refrigeration**, which had already been used to keep food cool.
So, while **refrigeration** existed earlier (notably in the 1800s in both Europe and America), **air conditioning**—as a system to control air temperature, humidity, and purity—was a **new concept** introduced by Carrier in the **USA**.
---
## When Did People Start Using It Widely?
- **1914**: The first home air conditioner was installed in a mansion in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
- **1920s**: Air conditioning spread to **movie theaters**, which became very popular during hot summers.
- **1950s**: Residential air conditioners became affordable for the middle class and widely adopted in homes across the United States.
---
## Did Other Countries Contribute?
Although the **first modern air conditioner** was invented in the United States, other scientists and engineers around the world had explored **cooling systems** before that. For example:
- **Ancient Egypt, Rome, China, and India** used primitive cooling methods like water fountains, wind towers, and evaporative cooling systems.
- In the **1800s**, people in Europe and America experimented with mechanical refrigeration and ice-based cooling, but these weren’t true air conditioners.
---
## Summary
| Element | Details |
|----------------------|------------------------------------------|
| Inventing Country | United States |
| Inventor | Willis Haviland Carrier |
| Year | 1902 |
| Purpose | To control humidity in a printing plant |
| Type of System | Temperature + Humidity + Ventilation |
| First Residential Use | 1914, Minnesota |
---
If you're curious, I can also show you a diagram of how early air conditioning worked or how modern systems are designed. Would you like that?