Lee Kuan Yew, the founding father of Singapore, considered AC to be key to its success: https://www.vox.com/2015/3/23/8278085/singapore-lee-kuan-yew-air-condit

Lee Kuan Yew, the founding father of Singapore, considered AC to be key to its success: https://www.vox.com/2015/3/23/8278085/singapore-lee-kuan-yew-air-conditioning https://www.vox.com/2015/3/23/8278085/singapore-lee-kuan-yew... From interview with him: Question: Anything else besides multicultural tolerance that enabled Singapore's success? Answer: Air conditioning. Air conditioning was a most important invention for us, perhaps one of the signal inventions of history. It changed the nature of civilization by making development possible in the tropics. Without air conditioning you can work only in the cool early-morning hours or at dusk. The first thing I did upon becoming prime minister was to install air conditioners in buildings where the civil service worked. This was key to public efficiency.