National Cooler Day, observed on the Friday before Memorial Day, honours the invention of the cooler, which has saved countless lives. This year, it occurs on May 26. Can you fathom that the cooler, despite its simplicity, did not become popular until the 1950s? A cooler is an insulated container used to keep food and beverages cold. Ice cubes or ice packs are typically used to keep the contents of a cooler cold. During the summer, coolers are frequently used to store or transport perishable goods. They are also brought to picnics, on vacation, and to outdoor activities. Coolers come in a variety of sizes, including personal coolers, disposable coolers, reusable coolers, and large refrigerators with wheels.
HISTORY OF NATIONAL COOLER DAY
The modern cooler can be traced back to the beginning of the first millennium, when the Celts invented containers for transporting and storing food. Ancient Romans quickly adopted the invention and introduced it to the rest of the world via their extensive trade routes. Thomas Moore, a farmer from Maryland, patented the refrigerator in 1802. It was an oval tube made of cedar wood that contained a rectangular tin case lined with rabbit fur. The rectangle-shaped tin box is filled with snow and crushed ice to keep the refrigerator’s contents cold. This invention altered the delivery and storage of food throughout the United States. It became popular in restaurants and hotels, and special freight ice cases based on the design of the refrigerator were constructed for railroads.
Ray ‘Otis’ McIntire, a Dow Chemical engineer, invented Styrofoam in 1944. The polystyrene foam was produced by combining pressurised polystyrene and isobutylene, resulting in a material that is light, durable, and an excellent insulator. Although its original purpose was to supplant rubber, it has since been utilised in packaging and as coolers. Richard C. Laramy filed a patent for a portable ice container with the United States Patent Office in 1951. Later, Laramy sold his patent to the Coleman Corporation. In 1954, the Coleman Company introduced a galvanised cooler, which was subsequently replaced by a plaster model. Additionally, the company renamed the product from ‘portable ice chest’ to ‘cooler.’ Other cooler brands, such as Igloo and Yeti, began to emerge, capitalising on the success of the Coleman Company. Igloo and Yeti eventually became the industry standard for coolers.
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Five Interesting Ice Facts
Dry ice does not contain water.
Ice is solidified carbon dioxide; at room temperature, it can transform from a solid to a gas without becoming a liquid.
Two varieties of ice
There is ‘land ice,’ composed of freshwater, and’sea ice,’ composed of saline.
Ice has a lower density than water.
Approximately 9% more volume is occupied by frozen water than liquid water, which is why ice can float on water.
Glaciers are the frozen water reservoirs of the globe.
Two-thirds of the world’s freshwater is contained in glaciers; if they melt, the global water cycle will be drastically altered.
There is ice beyond Earth
Jupiter, Saturn, and Europa, among other planets further from the sun than the Earth, contain vast quantities of ice.
NATIONAL COOLER DAY DATES
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | May 27 | Friday |
| 2023 | May 26 | Friday |
| 2024 | May 24 | Friday |
| 2025 | May 23 | Friday |
| 2026 | May 22 | Friday |
