Scottish innovation II

Given the countless inventions and innovations that have sprung from the brilliant minds of Scots throughout history, I thought I would do a series and give a quiet nod* to the ones that positively impact my life daily, along with the lives of millions of other people. Finding something with Scottish roots in your life is easy, regardless of where in the world you live.

In 1748, Edward Cullen, Professor of Chemistry and Medicine at the University of Edinburgh gave the first documented public demonstration of artificial refrigeration at the University of Glasgow. He created a small amount of ice by using a pump to create a partial vacuum over a container of diethyl ether, which then boiled and absorbed heat from the surroundings. His process was deemed to have no commercial application at the time, and other inventors soon followed suit, leading to the invention of the modern day refrigerator.

How his contribution to this invention impacts us positively is quite obvious. Besides the enormous improvement in food safety throughout history it also provides us with something many people treasure: ice cold adult beverages.

Distantly related to refrigerators but directly related to the See us project; sadly, I learned of this local performance by Chris Wright too late to attend but was properly enchanted when I read about the important work the organization does that he represents, and about the fact that they are supported by Creative Scotland. Listening to the historic recordings on their site is chilling, in a very good way.


*not submitted for the See us project which I love; for that I shall endeavor to find something other than inanimate objects.


Scottish innovation I