8 Cool Questions about Presidents and Their HVAC

8 Cool Questions About Presidents and Their HVAC. Do You Know the Answers?

Date - 02/14/2023

Sepia-toned collage of headshots of America Presidents.

Americans celebrate President’s Day every year.

It started way back in 1879 when George Washington’s birthday, February 22, was declared a legal holiday.

In 1885, Congress passed a law that guaranteed that all Federal employees would be paid for all official legal holidays, so now, Washington’s birthday was a paid day off.

Eighty-five years later in 1971, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act which was a bill designed to give more 3-day holidays to American workers. (What’s not to like about that?)

Now, on the third Monday of every February, we celebrate “Presidents’ Day,” a holiday where we emphasize the contributions of ALL presidents, not just Washington’s birthday.

Since Air Therm is a Heating and Air Conditioning Company, we thought it would be fun to tie in the role of various presidents with the implementation of heating and air conditioning at the White House.

Here are 8 cool questions about American Presidents and their HVAC. Do you know the answers?

QUESTION NUMBER ONE: Which American President was the first one to install a furnace in the White House?

Hint #1: The furnace was a Pettibone furnace, a warm-air furnace that the inventor, Daniel Pettibone said was an improvement on Ben Franklin’s stove, invented in 1742.

Hint #2: The year the first furnace was installed in the White House was 1809.

QUESTION NUMBER TWO: In order to keep the second-floor rooms of the White House warm during the winter, which president added onto the existing heating system.

Hint #1: The year was 1845.

QUESTION NUMBER THREE: Which president was the first one to install a gas heating system in 1861?

Hint #1: He was born in Kentucky.

QUESTION NUMBER FOUR: The first try at air conditioning the White House was the result of an assassination attempt on what president?

Hint #1: It was the height of summer, July 2, 1881.

Hint #2: A box was covered with thin cotton screens that were kept wet with ice and cold water. An electric blower then forced air through the box. The device successfully lowered the temperature of the room to 80 degrees.

QUESTION NUMBER FIVE: Which president installed an air conditioning system that was supposed to work by running air over ice blocks in the attic?

Hint #1: Sometimes the best laid plans fall apart. The ice-in-the-attic-blower system did not work and had to be quickly uninstalled.

Hint #2: The largest president we’ve ever had was responsible for this air conditioning install and un-install. He was 5’11” and weighed 350 at the end of his Presidency.

QUESTION NUMBER SIX: Which president wrote to his wife that the White House was haunted because its deteriorating condition caused drafts and strange noises?

Hint #1: Engineers confirmed that the White House with numerous remodels and the partial burning of 1814 was “structurally weak and in danger of collapse.”

Hint #2: This president embarked on a massive remodel of the White House that kept the historic look on the exterior but radically updated and improved the interior.

QUESTION NUMBER SEVEN: Which president added more air conditioning units to the private quarters but preferred to work in his office without the air conditioning?

Hint #1: He worked in his shirt sleeves with the windows wide open.

Hint #2: He is responsible for the modern “Oval Office.”

QUESTION NUMBER EIGHT: Which president updated an inadequate, existing 27-year-old HVAC system with a new high-efficiency system?

Hint #1: The old White House HVAC system ran 24 hours a day, seven days a week, every day of the year. Industry experts calculated the wear and tear on the 27-year-old system and proposed that the system was equivalent to 81 years old.

Air Therm will treat you with the respect a President deserves, the kindness a child needs, and the love a grandma earns.

Call us.

Answers:

Number One: President James Madison
Number Two: President James Polk
Number Three: President Abraham Lincoln
Number Four: President James Garfield.
Number Five: President Howard Taft
Number Six: Present Harry Truman
Number Seven: President Franklin Roosevelt.
Number Eight: President Donald Trump

See all blogs →