History of Ice in Timeline

Ice is the solid form of water, created when water freezes at or below 0°C. It's a naturally occurring crystalline solid, classified as a mineral. Ice is found on Earth, other planets, and in space. Its appearance varies from transparent to opaque bluish-white depending on impurities like soil or air bubbles.

1919: Icing encountered during first non-stop transatlantic flight

In 1919, during the first non-stop flight across the Atlantic, British aviators Alcock and Brown encountered icing conditions, requiring Brown to remove ice from the engine air intakes of their Vickers Vimy aircraft.

1939: Bowden and Hughes research on ice friction

In 1939, Frank P. Bowden and T. P. Hughes researched the slipperiness of ice and found that pressure melting alone could not explain the low friction experienced by skaters, proposing that frictional heating contributed to the melting of the ice layer.

1941: Road of Life across Lake Ladoga opens

In the winter of 1941, the Road of Life across Lake Ladoga opened, providing the only land route to relieve the Siege of Leningrad during World War II.

1942: Road of Life across Lake Ladoga in operation

In the winter of 1942, the Road of Life across Lake Ladoga was in operation, providing the only land route to relieve the Siege of Leningrad during World War II.

1943: Road of Life across Lake Ladoga closes

In the winter of 1943, the Road of Life across Lake Ladoga was in operation, providing the only land route to relieve the Siege of Leningrad during World War II.

1965: Frigidaire presents first icemaker

In 1965, Frigidaire presented the first home refrigerator with a built-in icemaker.

1969: Instances of carburetor icing recorded

Between 1969 and 1975, 468 instances of carburetor icing were recorded, causing 75 aircraft losses, 44 fatalities and 202 serious injuries.

1975: Instances of carburetor icing recorded

Between 1969 and 1975, 468 instances of carburetor icing were recorded, causing 75 aircraft losses, 44 fatalities and 202 serious injuries.

1992: Start of sea ice loss assessment

Between 1992 and 2018, global losses of sea ice had the same impact as 10% of greenhouse gas emissions over the same period.

1994: Start of major ice loss assessment

Between 1994 and 2017, 28 trillion tonnes of ice were lost around the globe due to greenhouse gas emissions, which shows the severe impact of climate change on the cryosphere.

1994: End of ice usage in Hungarian Parliament

Up until 1994, the Hungarian Parliament building used ice harvested in the winter from Lake Balaton for air conditioning.

1996: Discovery of Ice XII

In 1996, Ice XII, one of the metastable phases of ice under pressure, was discovered.

2002: Commercial ice-making companies in the United States

In 2002, there were 426 commercial ice-making companies in the United States, with a combined value of shipments of $595,487,000.

2006: Discovery of Ice XIII and Ice XIV

In 2006, Ice XIII and Ice XIV were discovered. These are hydrogen-ordered forms of ices V and XII respectively.

2009: Discovery of Ice XV

In 2009, ice XV was found at extremely high pressures and −143 °C.

2014: Research on frictional heating on ice

In 2014, research suggested that frictional heating is the most important process under most typical conditions. A comprehensive theory of ice friction must take into account all of the aforementioned mechanisms to estimate friction coefficient of ice against various materials as a function of temperature and sliding speed.

2017: End of major ice loss assessment

Between 1994 and 2017, 28 trillion tonnes of ice were lost around the globe due to greenhouse gas emissions, which shows the severe impact of climate change on the cryosphere.

2018: End of sea ice loss assessment

Between 1992 and 2018, global losses of sea ice had the same impact as 10% of greenhouse gas emissions over the same period.

May 2019: Kelvin definition change

In May 2019, the definition of the kelvin was changed from being based on the triple point of water to a new definition based on fixed numerical values of certain physical constants.