Ice: From Mixed Drinks to Skating Rinks--a Cool History of a Hot Commodity

The unexpected and unexplored ways that ice has transformed a nation—from the foods Americans eat, to the sports they play, to the way they live today—and what its future might look like on a swiftly warming planet. Ice is everywhere: in gas stations, in restaurants, in hospitals, in our homes.

Americans think nothing of dropping a few ice cubes into tall glasses of tea to ward off the heat of a hot summer day.

Most refrigerators owned by Americans feature automatic ice machines.