How Houses Were Cooled Before Air Conditioning

http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/realestate/how-houses-were-cooled-before-air-conditioning/ar-BBul7pu

Its been hot this summer - here is what history has done to stay cool:

Shotgun house were one room with windows and doors to be lined up for cross-ventilation. The porch shields the front room from the sunlight, thus keeping it cooler. 

The open-air hall that runs through its center—the dogtrot—defines the structure, which is generally two cabins under a single roof. The dogtrot allows for rooms to be accessed on both sides by fresh air. 

Meanwhile, in the upper classes, it was fashionable to ignore the heat altogether. "The idea was that you were immune to temperatures," says Baile. "You simply did not acknowledge that it was hot."

NEVO, or cold air stove, hit the market. "It was like a gigantic ice cream freezer connected to a fan—you would put in 200 lbs of ice a day and it would blow out cold air,"