The Goldberg Brothers - The Inventors of the Automobile Air Conditioner
Here's a little factoid for automotive buffs or just something to dazzle your
friends.
The four Goldberg brothers, Lowell, Norman, Hiram, and Max, invented
and developed the first automobile air-conditioner. On July 17, 1946,
the temperature in Detroit was 97 degrees.
The four brothers walked into old man Henry Ford's office and sweet-
talked his secretary into telling him that four gentlemen were there with
the most exciting innovation in the auto industry since the electric starter.
Henry was curious and invited them into his office. They refused and
instead asked that he come out to the parking lot to their car. They
persuaded him to get into the car, which was about 130 degrees, turned
on the air conditioner, and cooled the car off immediately.
The old man got very excited and invited them back to the office, where
he offered them $3 million for the patent. The brothers refused, saying
they would settle for $2 million, but they wanted the recognition by having
a label, 'The Goldberg Air Conditioner,' on the dashboard of each car in
which it was installed.
Now there was no way that old man Ford was going to put that name on
the dashboard of two million of his Ford cars. They haggled back and
forth for about two hours and finally agreed on $4 million and that just
their first names would be shown.
And so to this day, all Ford air conditioners show --
Lo, Norm, Hi, and Max -- on the controls.
Here's a little factoid for automotive buffs or just something to dazzle your
friends.
The four Goldberg brothers, Lowell, Norman, Hiram, and Max, invented
and developed the first automobile air-conditioner. On July 17, 1946,
the temperature in Detroit was 97 degrees.
The four brothers walked into old man Henry Ford's office and sweet-
talked his secretary into telling him that four gentlemen were there with
the most exciting innovation in the auto industry since the electric starter.
Henry was curious and invited them into his office. They refused and
instead asked that he come out to the parking lot to their car. They
persuaded him to get into the car, which was about 130 degrees, turned
on the air conditioner, and cooled the car off immediately.
The old man got very excited and invited them back to the office, where
he offered them $3 million for the patent. The brothers refused, saying
they would settle for $2 million, but they wanted the recognition by having
a label, 'The Goldberg Air Conditioner,' on the dashboard of each car in
which it was installed.
Now there was no way that old man Ford was going to put that name on
the dashboard of two million of his Ford cars. They haggled back and
forth for about two hours and finally agreed on $4 million and that just
their first names would be shown.
And so to this day, all Ford air conditioners show --
Lo, Norm, Hi, and Max -- on the controls.
