Willis Haviland Carrier was an American engineer, inventor, and entrepreneur who invented the modern air conditioner. Carrier was born in Angola, New York, in 1876. He studied mechanical engineering at Cornell University and graduated in 1901. After graduation, he worked for the Buffalo Forge Company, where he developed the first air conditioning system in 1902. Carrier's air conditioning system was used to control the humidity and temperature in a printing plant.
Carrier founded the Carrier Engineering Corporation in 1915. The company manufactured air conditioning systems for commercial and industrial use. Carrier's air conditioning systems were used in a variety of applications, including factories, hospitals, and theaters.
Carrier was also a pioneer in the field of refrigeration. He developed the first centrifugal refrigeration machine in 1922. Carrier's centrifugal refrigeration machine was more efficient than previous refrigeration machines and was used in a variety of applications, including food processing and ice making.
Carrier died in Syracuse, New York, in 1950. He was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1985.