Kerosene Refrigerators of 1950 to 1970
This article is about refrigerator which runs on kerosene provided by UNICEF during India-China War of 1962 to Assam(India). During that time electricity was not available all over India. The Assam State Electricity Board was constituted with effect from 01.06.1958. Medicines and vaccines are desired to be kept at a certain temperature for which refrigerators are required. During the year 1925 half of homes in United States are provided electric power and with no regular electricity especially in the underdeveloped and developing countries so kerosene refrigerators were used. During this peiods kerosene-based refrigerators are made in Sweden provided by Electrolux brand and at present Electrolux products are now manufactured, marketed & distributed by Videocon Industries in India.
Who made the first refrigerator - Albert T. Marshall, an American
inventor, patented the first mechanical refrigerator in 1899.
The temperature in kerosene refrigerators is almost impossible to maintain between the required +2 and +8 Celsius, putting at risk freeze-sensitive and expensive vaccines so at present affordable, battery-free refrigeration system which utilizes the solar array to directly drive a compressor are used in remote areas where electricity is not available. Solar powered refrigerator has replaced the kerosene refrigerator as it is impossible to maintain the desired temperature and most of the vaccines get spoiled. There are another brands like McClary Brand refrigerator which runs on electricity sent from Canada during the year 1972 by UNICEF. At present GE owns the McClary brand and is a very popular appliance brand in Canada. During the early period specially during 1950s refrigerator brands available were all foreign made. Jacob Perkins is known as the father of the refrigerator. Albert T. Marshall an American inventor, patented the first mechanical refrigerator in 1899. Albert Einstein patented a refrigerator in 1930 with the idea of creating an environmentally friendly refrigerator. Godrej manufactured the first Indian refrigerator in July 1958 but still all the refrigerator for keeping vaccines supplied by UNICEF are foreign made. The early made-in-India refrigerators require some amount of serious upper-body strength to pull open its heavy, single door are now replaced by newer generations of machines which are smart and environment friendly.
In 1950s India, refrigerators were still a
luxury afforded by a few to keep their dairy, veggies, veal and brew cool. And
the brands available were all foreign made.
