Did you know these chilling facts?

Refrigerators are much more than just cold boxes. They have some truly bizarre “hidden” features. Here are the most interesting and unknown facts about them:

1. Cars have true refrigerators!

While many cars have “cool boxes” (which just blow cold A/C air into a compartment), several luxury vehicles feature true compressor-based refrigerators that can reach freezing temperatures regardless of the cabin’s heat. The Cadillac Escalade has a centre console fridge that can chill six bottles to -5°C. Other models with built-in fridges include the Rolls-Royce Ghost, Bentley Bentayga, Land Rover Defender, and the Toyota Land Cruiser.

2. No more “Death Traps”

Before 1958, refrigerators had mechanical latches. There was a handle to pull them open from outside. Like today, children used to play hide and seek in refrigerator out of curiosity even then. The issue wasn’t with them playing, because the doors were airtight and soundproof, they couldn’t escape or be heard getting trapped.

This led to the Federal Refrigerator Safety Act of 1956, which mandated that all fridges must be openable from the inside with a light push. This is why modern fridges use magnetic seals instead of latches.

3. The coldest fridge in space?

Standard refrigerators don’t work in space because they rely on gravity to move oil and liquids through the system. NASA and Purdue University recently developed a “Cold Atom Lab” fridge for the International Space Station. It can reach temperatures 100 times colder than the vacuum of space (nearly absolute zero) to study quantum physics.

4. The “Forgotten” features

In the 1940s and 50s, refrigerator design was often more innovative than it is today. Many mid-century GE fridges had “Lazy Susan” shelves that rotated 360 degrees, so you never lost a jar of pickles at the back.

To prove how sturdy their new airtight seals were, the company Frigidaire had a 4-ton elephant stand on top of a refrigerator in 1939 while someone opened and closed the door.

5. Weird tidbits

• The World’s Largest Fridge is at the Large Hadron Collider (CERN) in Switzerland. It weighs over 10,000 tons and is used to keep the particle accelerator’s magnets at -271°C..
• The Dirtiest Part of fridge is the handle. Studies show fridge handles are one of the top spots for bacteria like E. coli because they are touched constantly but rarely wiped down.
• Haunted Refrigerator Night: Believe it or not, October 30th is officially designated as “Haunted Refrigerator Night,” a day meant for cleaning out the “frightening” expired leftovers at the back of the fridge.