How Clear Ice Became a Surprisingly Expensive Commodity During the Industrial Revolution

Derek Mullerand Gregor Cavlovic ofVeritasium explained the history of ice, noting how one man built a giant empire around frozen water in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, only to lose it all when others discovered new, more efficient methods for freezing ice.

The rise and fall of a forgotten frozen empire.

They looked at how ice and refrigeration transformed cities across the United States and around the world and the impact that ice has on modern life. But with the advent of the Industrial Revolution, clean frozen water became a such an expensive commodity at the time because the natural version became deadly.

By the time we get to the mid-19th century, the peak of the Industrial Revolution, factories and farms just letting loose their chemicals and detritus into the nearby lakes and rivers. ...You put an ice block into your cocktail, you could get cholera. ....And so the human-made ice companies were like, Sure, our ice isn't made by God. But, natural ice will kill you. So, which one do you want?"

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