Vintage Refrigerators
Instructions: From iceboxes to Frigidaire, test your knowledge of how families kept food cold
- 1.
Before electric refrigerators, what did families use to keep food cold, relying on regular deliveries of frozen blocks?
AAn iceboxBA root cellarCA cold pantryDA springhouse - 2.
What occupation involved delivering large blocks of ice to homes for use in iceboxes?
AThe delivery boyBThe milkmanCThe grocerDThe iceman - 3.
Which brand name became so synonymous with refrigerators that many people used it as a generic term for any fridge?
AWestinghouseBAmanaCFrigidaireDKelvinator - 4.
What distinctive feature of 1950s refrigerators required users to pull a heavy chrome handle to open the door?
AA magnetic stripBA foot pedal openerCA lever-action handle with a positive latchDA push-button latch - 5.
What safety concern about old refrigerators led to the Refrigerator Safety Act of 1956?
AElectric shock hazardsBFire risksCFreon leaksDChildren getting trapped inside abandoned units - 6.
What popular pastel color were many kitchen refrigerators painted in during the 1950s?
ATurquoise or pinkBAvocado greenCHarvest goldDCoppertone - 7.
What small freezer compartment inside early single-door refrigerators was barely large enough to hold a few ice cube trays?
AThe freezer boxBThe crisperCThe cold lockerDThe ice bin - 8.
What annoying maintenance task did owners of older refrigerators have to perform regularly to prevent ice buildup?
ACleaning the condenserBRefilling the coolantCReplacing the compressorDDefrosting the freezer - 9.
What GE innovation, introduced in the 1960s, eliminated the need to manually defrost a refrigerator?
ATemperature sensorsBSelf-cleaningCFrost-free (auto-defrost) technologyDQuick-cool fans - 10.
What color combination dominated kitchen appliances including refrigerators in the 1970s?
ABrown and beigeBAvocado green and harvest goldCWhite and chromeDBlack and stainless steel - 11.
What style of refrigerator, with the freezer on top and fridge below, became the standard American design by the 1960s?
ATop-freezer refrigeratorBBottom-freezerCFrench doorDSide-by-side - 12.
What aluminum tray with a lever handle was used to make ice cubes in home freezers before automatic ice makers?
AAn ice moldBA silicone trayCAn ice bucketDA metal ice cube tray with a pull lever - 13.
What early refrigerant gas, used in the first home refrigerators, was toxic and caused several deaths before being replaced?
AMethyl chloride and sulfur dioxideBAmmoniaCFreonDPropane - 14.
What company introduced the first successful home refrigerator, the 'Guardian Frigerator,' which later became Frigidaire?
AGuardian Frigerator Company (later bought by GM)BKelvinatorCGeneral ElectricDWestinghouse - 15.
What did many families display on their refrigerator doors using small magnets, turning the fridge into a family bulletin board?
AChildren's artwork, photos, and notesBCalendars onlyCShopping couponsDRecipes