Transcript
A (0:03)
Hey there, kids and parents. Welcome Back to the 10 minute drive, a podcast where we explore the fascinating little things in the world around us, all in 10 minutes or less. Today, we're unlocking the chilly secret of something that's right in our kitchen. It's that big humming box that keeps your food cold. Your refrigerator. But growing up, I never heard my grandma call it a fridge. She always called it the ice box. It turns out she wasn't just being old fashioned. There's a whole story behind how we went from cutting blocks of ice to shiny refrigerators we use today. So get ready, because this frosty tale is full of surprises.
B (0:42)
July, 1934. During the hottest days, I never had a moment's worry about my children's food. The peace of mind I have about my food, once it is placed in my frigid air, is beyond price.
A (0:57)
Have you ever wondered why we have to keep food and milk cold? And what happens if we don't? Let's start with a little experiment. Imagine you left a glass of milk out on the kitchen counter all day, and when you came back to drink it.
B (1:13)
Ew.
A (1:14)
It wouldn't taste very good, would it? And more than that, it. It could make you sick. That's because some foods, like milk, fruits, and vegetables go bad quickly if they aren't kept cold. Tiny little creatures called bacteria start growing on the food. And they don't just make it smell bad. They can also make it dangerous to eat. Keeping food cold slows down these bacteria, almost like hitting a pause button. It helps our milk stay fresh, our fruits stay crunchy. And that's why having a fridge or something like it is so important. But here's the thing. Hundreds of years ago, there were no fridges, no freezers, and no magic buttons to keep food fresh. So how did people keep things cold back then? Well, let's step back in time and imagine it was your job to cut giant blocks of ice to keep everyone's food fresh. Let's go back to the 1800s. It's winter, and you live in a small town in Massachusetts, a place where cutting ice is a big deal. You wake up early before the sun rises, and it's freezing outside. Your breath comes out in little clouds, and everything is covered in a layer of sparkling frost. You grab your tools, a big hand saw, an ice pick, and some heavy gloves to keep your fingers warm. Today, you're heading out to a frozen lake to cut giant blocks of ice. This ice will be sold to families and businesses all relying on it to keep their food Fresh in their ice boxes. When you get to the lake, the ice is thick, about a foot deep. First, you have to shovel off the snow to reach the smooth, glassy ice below. Then the hard work begins. You use your saw to cut the ice into perfect blocks, each one weighing as much as a large dog. It's tough work. Your arms ache. The cold wind bites at your face. But it's exciting, too. Each time a block cracks loose, it makes a loud as it floats in the water. Once the blocks are cut, you and your team hook them with long poles and drag them to the shore. From there, the ice is loaded onto wagons pulled by horses. These blocks will be stored in special buildings called ice houses, where they will stay frozen for months, ready to be delivered to families across the country. You're part of something amazing. People in hot places like Florida or Texas will use this very ice to keep their food and drinks cool, thanks to you and your hard work on the frozen lake. But cutting ice is only part of the story. How did we go from using blocks of ice in our icebox to the modern refrigerators we have today?