On James Harrison Day, AIRAH celebrates the “father of refrigeration”

On this day in 1816, a truly remarkable man was born in Bonhill, Scotland. James Harrison, widely regarded as the father of mechanical refrigeration, was not only a brilliant engineer, but also a successful businessman, a journalist, and a politician.

After moving to Australia in 1837, Harrison wasted little time in purchasing a printing press and founding The Geelong Advertiser, of which he became the sole owner in 1942. Harrison would later go on to edit another famous Victorian daily newspaper: The Age.

In the 1850s, Harrison served as a politician, representing Geelong initially on the Victorian Legislative Council, and later as a member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly. But while Harrison’s public life was impressive, it was his ice-making ventures that would immortalise him, especially to those in the modern-day HVAC&R industry.

Ice magic

Harrison first came up with the idea of refrigeration upon noticing that ether evaporating off metal typing equipment cooled the metal. By 1854 he had created his first commercial ice-making machine, and by 1855 had patented the first refrigeration system. The rest is history.

Reflecting on James Harrison Day, AIRAH CEO Sami Zheng, Affil.AIRAH, says Harrison’s influence remains strong more than 130 years after his death.

“Historically, James Harrison has always been one of the most important figures at AIRAH,” Zheng says. “Our head office is named after him, as is our most prestigious award. With the James Harrison Medal, AIRAH honours those HVAC&R professionals who continue his tradition of innovation and excellence.

“Harrison’s achievements are a great reminder that Australia, despite being a relatively small country, has always punched above its weight in HVAC&R, and continues to do so. I think he would be immensely proud of the modern-day Australian HVAC&R industry that has emerged from the foundations he laid all those years ago.”

To celebrate Harrison’s incredible life, AIRAH is offering free digital access to the book James Harrison – Pioneering Genius by WR (Roy) Lang.