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American Morning

Air Conditioning Changed Southern Way of Life

Aired July 24, 2001 - 09:16   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: You can bet with that rain, they are cranking the A/C in Florida and clear across the South and much of the country. Alexa Lee, though, takes us back at a look now at what the South, especially was like -- it's a bad thought, but think about it -- before air conditioning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEXA LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From the smiles on these faces, you'd hardly know something was missing.

EMILY HIGHTOWER, AIR CONDITIONER ENGINEER: We weren't suffering, were we darling? No, I don't think we were. We just didn't know the difference.

LEE: Emily Hightower and her husband, George, one of the first air conditioning installers, reflect on what life was like before air conditioning was widespread, when bonnets and umbrellas, cold drinks or a midday swim were the only ways to beat the heat.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wow. That's interesting.

LEE: Such relics showcased at the Atlanta History Center. The exhibit includes early electric fans and the handheld variety popular for fanning off a sweat, as well as other purposes.

(on camera): And did you know, some say there was a secret language to it? According to this display, fanning quickly meant "I'm engaged"; slowly, "I'm married"; and dropping the fan, a signal, "let's just be friends."

(voice-over): In the early 1900s, the first air conditioners helped battle humidity in factories. Movie theaters led the way in comfort cooling.

E. HIGHTOWER: It was a big help.

GEORGE HIGHTOWER, AIR CONDITIONER ENGINEER: It was this big box of ice and the air would be blowing over and the ice would melt. It would make it humid. The humidity would go up, but the temperature would go down.

LEE: Modern air-conditioning took off after World War II. In 1946, a trackless trolley became the world's first air conditioned city transit vehicle.

RANDY WHITFIELD, AIR CONDITIONED TROLLEY EMPLOYEE: They'd ride it just to cool off and have a little joyride.

LEE: To a growing nation, the luxury meant more than comfort. Air conditioning spurred migration patterns.

G. HIGHTOWER: It made the South, there is no question. The South would have been way behind the country because of the heat.

LEE: And changed society and the economy forever.

Alexa Lee, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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