The Goldberg Brothers - The Inventors of the Automobile Air Conditioner

[PCBeachBum]

Little known interesting fact: The Goldberg Brothers - The Inventors of the Automobile Air Conditioner.
Here's a little factoid for automotive buffs or just to dazzle your friends..


The four Goldberg brothers, Lowell, Norman, Hiram, and Maxwell, 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 old man Ford was more than just a little anti - Semitic, and there was no way he was going to put the Goldberg's name on two million Fords. 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.

[Firefly]

You had me for a minute there. Hahhaah.

[hrbeta]

LOL good one LOL


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[Bob Denman]

And I thought that a whole new History lesson was unfolding...

[Firefly]

Only true part of the story is Henry Ford being anti-Semitic. Sad.

[Bob Denman]

Some of the most brilliant folks on the Planet have had little dark spots in their thought processes; why should he have been any different?
Do you avoid driving Ford products because of it?

[Firefly]

Some of the most brilliant folks on the Planet have had little dark spots in their thought processes; why should he have been any different?
Do you avoid driving Ford products because of it?

Nope. It just happens that Ford doesn't make anything that suits my needs tight now. I'm not very brand loyal when it comes to cars.... I buy what suits my needs at the time.

[NancysToy]

Nope. It just happens that Ford doesn't make anything that suits my needs tight now. I'm not very brand loyal when it comes to cars.... I buy what suits my needs at the time.

[Bob Denman]

Me three!
But some of the best vehicles that I've owned were Fords...
In spite of my longterm love affair with Jeeps; they're about worse than anything, even Spyders, when it comes to nickel and diming you to death!
Dodge have always been pretty good to me'
Chevys... not so much!
And I've got another Chevy right now with a ventilation system "issue".

[rnet]

Had GM products since 1972 with one Datsun B-210 and that was a nightmare. The GM's were and are rock solid for me. Just picked up a new cruze today, 20 mile trip home and average mpg 42.

[Firefly]

If I had to buy a new car tomorrow, I really have no idea what it would be or who would be the maker. I need something that can easily haul cartons,people and big dogs... right now Chrysler Town and Country suits those needs very well..... certainly not a cool ride.... but damn versatile..

Honda Element tweaked my interest.. but they stopped making them. Was really hoping for a plug-in Hybrid version.....

[ARtraveler]

Yup--you had me going too.

[Bob Denman]

If fuel mileage is the chief factor in the decision; take a look at Ford's Fiesta.
Sonny-Boy has one of them and consistently gets between 45 and 49 pmg. I drove it for a tnakful and got 49 mpg also, so he ain't making it up!
Now... he does drive like a little old lady... runs about 50 mph at the most getting back and forth to work. On the roads that he's on; that's about all that you could safely and sanely do anyway...
So Fly... Forget about the Fiesta!