Future on Ice

1914  The DOMELRE (DOMestic ELectric Refrigerator) hits the market. It’s the first time consumers have been offered an alternative to the icebox (though most people will not be able to afford a refrigerator for at least another decade). A single-compartment unit with a freezer subcompartment inside, it’s sold with a newfangled gadget called an ice cube tray.

1923  The Frigidaire company, owned by General Motors, releases a self-contained refrigerator (which was developed nearly a decade before but not widely released). Up to this point, the fridge was in the kitchen, while the mechanical end (the motor, compressor, and condenser) lived separately, usually in the basement.

1926  In an effort to sell people new refrigerators, electrical trade organizations across the country stage expositions to educate potential consumers. This is footage from one such event, staged by the Electric League of Pittsburgh.

1927  GE releases the Monitor Top fridge, named for its distinctive ring compressor mounted above the fridge. Other innovative features include an all-steel cabinet (before this, doors were made of flimsy metal, or even wood), rudimentary slide-out shelving, and foot pedals to open the door. It’s a hit, selling more than 1 million units.

1930  Frigidaire releases the Hydrator, a special compartment for produce, with an adjustable slot to regulate the amount of air allowed in. (Used more as a marketing tool, these crispers didn’t really keep produce fresher back then, and they don’t now either, at least not on lower-end fridge models.)

1931  Frigidaire is the first to use Freon, an alternative to dangerous refrigerants like sulfur dioxide. Freon, a CFC (chlorofluorocarbon), is extremely damaging to the ozone layer—but no one knows this yet.

1933  The Ohio-based Crosley company, known mostly as a radio manufacturer, unveils the Shelvador, the first model with shelves on the inside of the door. The popular feature leaves competitors scrambling. In 1940, Crosley releases a model with a built-in radio on the door.

1934  Originally released in 1928, the Sears Coldspot gets a makeover by industrial designer Raymond Loewy, whose designs include the Coke bottle, the Lucky Strike package, the Greyhound bus, and other iconic American products. The refrigerator’s sleek, modern lines and economic use of space triple Coldspot’s sales in the first year.

1938  GE introduces a fridge with a butter keeper. Heat controls allow consumers to set their desired level of softness. This electrical feature isn’t grounded, however, and is known to shock people.

1939  Crosley puts in a hanging wire rack for eggs on the inside of the door of one of its fridges.

1941  52 percent of American households now have refrigerators.

1941–1945  A great deal of American refrigeration production is halted as factories aid the war effort. Frigidaire, for instance, manufactures .50-caliber Browning machine guns and aircraft propellers.

1947  GE markets the first fridge model with a completely separate freezer.

1950s  Sub-Zero begins selling its “built-in” refrigerators; that is, fridges that don’t protrude beyond the surrounding cabinetry. This gives people the notion that they can custom design their kitchens around their favorite appliances.

1952  Crosley releases the chilled drink dispenser: a rudimentary tank that allows the user to store anything from juice to milk or water. Turn a spigot, and have the beverage flow through the door.

1952  International Harvester, an agricultural machinery company, releases a line of fabric-covered refrigerators with patterns to match custom window curtains.

1953  As kitchens and their appliances get bigger, the General Air Conditioning Corporation takes the opposite route by manufacturing a compact unit that houses a stove, a sink, a freezer, and a refrigerator all in one. A similar model is sold today.

1953  Servel, an Indiana-based company, releases the first automatic icemaker. The customer must reach into the freezer and grab the ice.

1953  Mamie Eisenhower’s pink dress from her husband’s presidential inauguration sparks a craze in pastel-colored fridges, as well as autos. (Incidentally, many refrigerator companies are owned by automobile companies at this time.)

1954  Designer Harold Van Doren’s distinctive V-handle refrigerator for Philco hits the market. A double set of hinges allows customers to open the door in either direction. Though this model is popular, the heavy door is known to occasionally come off its hinges and fall to the floor.

1954  GE releases a revolving shelf similar to a lazy Susan. Condiment jars fly out of the fridge as bored kids repeatedly push the button that rotates the shelves. A few years later the shelves are modified to fan out like a deck of cards when the door is opened.

1955  Kelvinator introduces the Foodarama, the first side-by-side refrigerator (two doors opening from the middle). Within this gigantic model, customers have a surplus of drawers and compartments, many of which are designed to accommodate specific products like cans of frozen juice.

1955  GE debuts the first wall-mounted fridge, which sits next to the kitchen cabinets.

1955  80 percent of American homes now have refrigerators.

1958  Frigidaire releases a frostless fridge. Previously, the inside of the coldest part of the fridge was covered in ice crystals and had to be defrosted periodically.

1964  GE releases the first through-the-door ice dispenser at its national conference; actor Ronald Reagan is a guest speaker. Five years later the company markets the first combination ice cube and water dispenser.

1968  Westinghouse begins selling a line of fridges whose exterior is customizable with surface treatments like faux wood paneling.

1973  William Zimmerman of St. Louis gets a patent for the first refrigerator magnet.

1975  Many Americans move their older fridges to the garage. Now used primarily to store bulk items and giant packages of frozen leftovers, the “garage fridge” becomes the grungy workhorse of home appliances.

1976  Sears responds to the energy crisis with the Coldspot Power Miser. The new model is touted as requiring 40 percent less electricity than its competitors.

1982  Admiral refrigerators (today owned by Maytag) releases an automatic ice cream maker. To use it, simply remove the icemaker, slide in the ice cream maker, and be sure to peer in through the clear lid as your concoction freezes.

1984  GE debuts a refrigerator that makes a beeping noise if left open.

1985  Kenmore (formerly Sears brand) releases a popular fridge with a black lacquer finish. A Time magazine article calls the trend “Darth Vaderism.”

1993  The use of Freon is discontinued in refrigerators. It is replaced with tetrafluoroethane, a non-ozone-depleting gas.

1995  Sub-Zero challenges the idea of the fridge as one centralized appliance with the debut of the 700 series: multiple pullout cooler drawers that customers can place throughout a room, the ultimate in upscale custom kitchen design for the times.

1998  Frigidaire introduces the industry’s first built-in filtration system for the water and ice dispensers, called PureSource. Virtually all refrigerators today have filters.

2000  GE launches the Profile Arctica refrigerator with CustomCool technology, the first model with areas kept warmer or cooler independently. Forgot to chill the Pinot Grigio but don’t want to risk it freezing? Stick it in a special drawer inside the fridge.

2002  Whirlpool unveils the Polara, an oven that doubles as a fridge. Before leaving work in the morning, you just throw a par-cooked meal into the unit, which is chilled in default mode. When activated via timer or cell phone, the refrigerator shuts off and turns the oven on to finish cooking the meal.

2003  LG Electronics releases the first TV on a refrigerator. The combo appliance continues to improve and in 2007, the high-definition TV is released along with weather center, photo slideshow, digital recipe card, and calendar functions.

2005  Sub-Zero releases the 600 series, a line of refrigerators with glass doors. The models save energy and provide a feeling of openness in a room. However, the fridges must be tidied up whenever guests arrive. But not nearly as much as the Japanese invisible refrigerator.

2006  Electrolux unleashes the Cyber Fridge, a wireless-Internet-surfing, email-checking, MP3-playing, touch-screen-computer fridge. The screen is located above the doors, so one person can scour the Internet while another forages for food.

2007  The Thermador Freedom Collection introduces the motorized Liberty Shelf, which moves up and down, making it easier to reach and reorganize food.

2007  Vintage-style refrigerators (with modern engineering) return with the renewed interest in midcentury modern design. Notable companies are Gorenje, Big Chill, Robeys, and Smeg.

2007  Designers show off a modular refrigerator at the annual Electrolux Design Lab. Split into transparent, stackable compartments, it uses an ecofriendly technology called magnetic refrigeration. It’s more practical than a concept fridge that looks like a tree.