In 1919, an African-American woman inventor created a central heating system powered by gas laying foundation for the future systems. Alice H. Parker received U.S. Patent No. 1,325,905 for a heating furnace that used natural gas instead of wood or coal. Her design drew cool air into the furnace, passed it through heating chambers and sent warm air through ducts to different parts of a building. The system also included separate heating units that could be controlled independently. This feature connected her design with the later development of zone heating. Parker’s patent is now discussed as part of the history of central heating and HVAC systems.
