Today marks the 100th anniversary of the invention of air conditioning-- first invented for use in a Brooklyn printing plant and only made its way into homes in the 1950s. I don't know about you, but our heat index today was 105 so I am grateful indeed.
There was a column yesterday in the Dallas Morning News about what the world would be like today without air conditioning - really makes you think. Not only too hot to live in Texas or the South, unless you're crazy (and I hear the heat did make people a bit crazy and they would act the way they act in Faulkner novels ), but no sensitive electronics, etc. (say goodbye to your TV, cell phone, computer, Internet, Clutch BBS...) Air conditioning is definitely on my list of top ten inventions of all time, along with the wheel and certain female personal products.
i don't know about the electronics part... most people in India don't have air conditioning, but also have a wide variety of electronics (TV, phones, stereo, etc.)... example: my cousins didn't get A/C until 3 years ago... up to that point, when we visited (in the summers no less) it was deadly hot oustide and indoors... immediately after a shower, one would start sweating again!!! but we still watched TV and used their computer to surf the web, etc. just visiting them for a few months at a time (every few years) without A/C... i couldn't imagine living w/o it and its something we take for granted!
