The History of Ice Makers

THE HISTORY OF ICE MAKERS Only within the past 200 years or so have people been able to make ice in their homes. Ice also was imported from cold to warm climates. The quality and quantity of the ice, however, was unpredictable at best.

Ice Maker Inventors

In 1850, Dr. John Gorrie, a physician, scientist, inventor and humanitarian, demonstrated an ice maker and was granted a patent for the design in 1851, though he never brought it into commercial production. Gorrie is considered the father of refrigeration, inventing, among other things, an air-cooling system for a Florida hospital. In 1866, Thaddeus Lowe invented the first commercially produced ice machine, with the first commercially produced ice being sold in Dallas that same year.

First Ice Maker in a Refrigerator In 1953 the Servel company first introduced a refrigerator with a built-in ice maker. The technology gradually evolved from people having to fill the water manually to water hook-ups that allowed the house's tap water line to be connected to the ice maker.

First Ice Maker in the Door of a Refrigerator In 1965, Frigidaire introduced the first refrigerator with the ice maker in the door, along with a water dispenser, so that ice and water could be dispensed without having to open the appliance.

Portable Ice Makers Today, people can buy portable ice makers, including standalone and under-the- counter models that produce ice cubes in as little as 10 minutes. Filling tabletop models with water is a manual process for the most part, though models exist that can have the water line installed so that it is automatic.

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