John Gorrie (1803-1855) was granted the first U.S. patent for mechanical refrigeration. As a physician in Florida during the outbreak of the malaria epidemic, Gorrie set about on his mission to create artificial cooling as a matter of medical urgency to cure his patients of a disease he believed was caused by extreme heat and humidity.

Gorrie was born on October 3, 1802 (or 1803). Whereas most accounts list his birthplace as Charleston, South Carolina, and his heritage that of Scotch-Irish, others speculate that Gorrie, who had an olive complexion and dark hair and eyes, was born in Charlestown, a city on the island of Nevis in the West Indies. According to this possible scenario, Gorrie's mother, whose identity is unknown, fled from Spain to the West Indies, where she gave birth to Gorrie out of wedlock. When Gorrie was between 12 and 18 months old, he and his mother moved to...