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Jul
16
Apparently I’m not the only Gorrie who is a sucker for punishment and enjoys doing his own thing. My father (www.gorrie.com - 122 yrs of retail displays) and my uncle are both 30+ yr entrepreneurs. But it goes further back than that! Wired Magazine had an article on my great, great uncle, Dr John Gorrie. I’ve known about him for a while now (family indoctrination don’tcha know…) but he’s not exactly a household name.
Dr. Gorrie invented the original Ice Machine back in 1850. He’s the reason for the cool frosty mugs-o-beer we all enjoy. Apparently he liked his brew and had a flare for the dramatic too:
He arranged a dramatic demonstration of his machine for a social, rather than medical, occasion. It was a muggy July in Florida. Ice from the North had been exhausted. Gorrie attended an afternoon reception given by the French consul to honor Bastille Day.
The doctor first complained about drinking warm wine in hot weather, then suddenly announced, “On Bastille Day, France gave her citizens what they wanted. [Consul] Rosan gives his guests what they want, cool wines! Even if it demands a miracle!”
Then he signaled for waiters to enter with bottles of sparkling wine on trays of ice. Mechanically made ice in the sweltering Florida summer: It was a sensation. Smithsonian magazine dubbed that party the “chilly reception.”
Unfortunately, he was a miserable businessman so I’m hoping I’ve learned a thing or two since then 
So…nothing to do with Digital OOH I’m afraid, but I got a kick out of it.
Funny enough, Ken Goldberg from Real Digital Media called me on this very thing about 3 months ago…apparently, near his town, there’s a statue to good old John’s honor in a town near him.
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