Early Refrigeration Models
The Egyptians, Chinese and Indians were some of the early people to use ice in food preservation. In 1626, Sir Francis Bacon was also testing the idea that cold could be used to preserve meat; his chilly experiment caused him to develop pneumonia, from which he died on Easter Day, April 9, 1626.
Two of the first home refrigerators both appeared in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where, in 1911, General Electric company unveiled a unit invented by a French monk. In 1915 the first "Guardian" refrigerator - a predecessor of the Frigidaire - was assembled in a wash house in a Fort Wayne backyard.
In the 1920s and '30s, consumers were introduced to freezers when the first electric refrigerators with ice cube compartments came on the market. Mass production of modern refrigerators didn't get started until after World War II.
In the 1930s freon 12 was used to replace sulphur dioxide as the most commonly used refrigerant.
During the 1940s frozen food storage became widely used by consumers
The environment became a top priority in the 1970s and '80s, which lead to more energy-efficient refrigerators and elimination of chlorofluorocarbons in refrigeration sealed systems.
Today, the refrigerator is America's most used appliance, found in more than 99.5% of American homes