
Harvesting the frozen ponds of New England
The struggle to ship ice to the tropics
Ice around the world
The legacy and the demise of natural ice
YOUR GOAL
Master of The Boston ice king

hank Challenge yourself with this game about Frederic Tudor, the Boston Ice King, and the history of harvesting and shipping natural ice worldwide.
hank The Boston Ice King
We shipped the frozen ponds all the way to Bombay— (yeah, all the way!) / Sawdust kept the summer heat away! (oh, so cold!)

hank Explore the history of how artificial ice machines replaced harvested pond ice in this visual infographic tracking the evolution of the ice trade.

hank Discover how Frederic Tudor, the Boston Ice King, shipped frozen pond ice around the world to cool drinks and save lives during sweltering summers.
Flammable icehouses: Abandoned wooden icehouses were packed with so much dry, leftover sawdust that they became notorious fire hazards, and almost all eventually burned down.
The process of cooling or preserving something by lowering its temperature. By the 1950s, mechanical refrigeration replaced harvested pond ice, rendering Frederic Tudor's global trade obsolete.
Which physician invented an early mechanical refrigeration machine in 1842 to cool his yellow fever patients?
What major technological advancement in the early 20th century caused the rapid decline of the natural ice trade?
How did the availability of natural ice help combat outbreaks of yellow fever in the 19th century?
What household appliance became standard in American homes during the 19th century thanks to the ice trade?
Why did the pollution of rivers and ponds in the late 19th century hurt the natural ice industry?
What happened to the massive wooden icehouses along New England rivers after the natural ice trade died?
Which country became the largest exporter of natural ice to Europe during the peak of the global ice trade?