I’m old enough to remember not having air-conditioning in the home where I lived. Heck, only 88% of US homes have some type of AC even today.
Nanny and Pap-pa had an attic fan in their small house that only ran at night. I can remember Nanny making my brother and I a pallet on the floor in front of the front door.
Yup. The very door in the photo above. The fan pulled hot air through the screen that swept over us.
I don’t remember being hot.
I remember thinking sleeping on the floor and being able to see the stars in the sky was incredibly amazing.
I remember when we got our first air conditioning unit at home. It was a big ole’ window unit that was in the kitchen/dining room area. It was so loud that you couldn’t hear one another talking, but it was grand just the same.
I purchased my first car with A/C in the early 80’s.
I bought a brand new Toyota Celica with a sunroof and A/C… then I got married, sold that car to pay my then husband’s settlement to his first wife, and drove a red Datsun truck with a camper shell on the back and crank windows to keep cool. Young and dumb doesn’t begin to explain my stupidity.
Once Ben was born, a reliable car was necessary and I bought a brand new, BLACK Chevy Chevette… without A/C. Mom & Carl ended up with that car and they tell horror stories about sweating in that thing.
That was the last time I purchased a vehicle without A/C — it was 1982.
What about you? Do you remember life without air-conditioning?
If so, like me, you survived. 🙂
Now you know: The U.S. uses more energy to power AC units each year than the entire continent of Africa uses for everything combined.