• Today, we take ice for granted. • But having ice produced in your home is a relatively modern luxury. • As early as 1750 BC, ancient people would find ice on mountains or in cold areas and would harvest it. • They’d store it, often underground, with as much insulation as they could produce given their level of technology. • By 500 BC, people around Egypt and what is now India would place water in porous clay pots on beds of straw when the night was cold and dry. • Even if the temperature didn’t freeze, the combination of evaporation and radiative cooling could produce some ice.
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