An estimated 60 million are produced annually and about 500 million are in use worldwide. Fridges. Even in ancient times, ice was taken from the mountains and used in cellars to store food. The first artificial cooling system was presented at the University of Glasgow in 1784, and around 50 years later, fridges began to be sold commercially. In this episode, Great Inventions tells it like it is, explaining the advantages of modern refrigerators but also the problems caused by CFCs.