History of Ice in Timeline

Ice is the solid form of water, occurring naturally on Earth and other celestial bodies at or below 0 °C (32 °F). It is considered a mineral due to its crystalline structure. The appearance of ice ranges from transparent to opaque bluish-white, depending on impurities present within its structure.

1919: Icing Encountered During First Non-Stop Transatlantic Flight

In 1919, during the first non-stop flight across the Atlantic, British aviators encountered icing conditions that required one of them to climb onto the wing to remove ice from the engine air intakes.

1939: Bowden and Hughes Research on Ice Friction

In 1939, research by Frank P. Bowden and T. P. Hughes challenged the pressure melting theory of ice slipperiness, arguing that skaters would experience more friction if pressure melting were the sole explanation and that frictional heating causes the melting of the ice layer.

1941: Road of Life Operation Begins

In the winter of 1941, the Road of Life across Lake Ladoga began operating, serving as the only land route to relieve the Siege of Leningrad.

1942: Road of Life Operation Continued

In the winter of 1942, the Road of Life across Lake Ladoga continued operation, serving as the only land route to relieve the Siege of Leningrad.

1943: Road of Life Operation Continued

In the winter of 1943, the Road of Life across Lake Ladoga continued operation, serving as the only land route to relieve the Siege of Leningrad.

1965: First Home Refrigerator Icemaker

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

1969: Start of Carburetor Icing Incident Recording

In 1969, recording began for carburetor icing incidents, with 468 such incidents recorded until 1975.

1975: End of Carburetor Icing Incident Recording Period

In 1975, the recording period ended for carburetor icing incidents, with a total of 468 such incidents recorded between 1969 and 1975.

1992: Start of Sea Ice Loss Measurement Period

In 1992, global losses of sea ice began to be measured, continuing until 2018, with almost all losses occurring in the Arctic and having the same impact as 10% of greenhouse gas emissions over the same period.

1994: Start of Ice Loss Measurement Period

In 1994, a period began during which 28 trillion tonnes of ice were lost around the globe due to greenhouse gas emissions by 2017.

1994: End of Hungarian Parliament Ice Harvesting

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

1996: Ice XII Discovery

In 1996, Ice XII, a metastable phase of ice under pressure and fully hydrogen-disordered, was discovered.

2002: Commercial Ice-Making Industry in the United States

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

2006: Discovery of Ice XIII and Ice XIV

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

2009: Discovery of Ice XV

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

2014: Frictional Heating Importance in Ice Friction

2014 research suggests that frictional heating is the most important process under most typical conditions regarding ice friction.

2017: End of Ice Loss Measurement Period

By 2017, 28 trillion tonnes of ice were lost around the globe since 1994 as a result of greenhouse gas emissions.

2018: End of Sea Ice Loss Measurement Period

By 2018, global losses of sea ice from 1992, almost all of them in the Arctic, had the same impact as 10% of greenhouse gas emissions over the same period.

May 2019: Kelvin Definition Changed

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 physical constants.