Frederick McKinley Jones was a black inventor who transformed both the cinema and refrigeration industries.
Jones had patent over sixty inventions in different fields over his lifetime. Forty of the patents were for refrigeration. ⠀
In 1927, Ultraphone Sound Systems hired Jones as an electrical engineer where he used scrap metals for parts to change silent movie projectors into talking projectors. In 1939, Jones patent and invented the automatic ticket- dispensing machine.⠀
However, he sold the rights to RCA. Later, Jones served as Vice President of U.S Thermo Control Company where he was given the mission to design a device that would allow trucks to deliver perishable products without spoiling.
He completed the task by inventing an automatic refrigeration system. The Thermo King was born. With a few modifications, Jones was able to design a cooling system that would also work for trains, boats, and ships. ⠀
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The Thermo King changed the shipping and grocery businesses. It was now easier to import and export cold products. As a result, the frozen food industry developed and the Thermo Company became a multimillion dollar business. During World War II, there was a need to store blood transfusions and medicine. Therefore, Jones furthered his refrigeration research and created air conditioning units for military hospitals and refrigerator for military kitchens 🥶⠀
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Jones was the first black inventor to be awarded the National Medal of Technology. He was also the first African- American to be inducted into the American Society of Refrigeration Engineers🥇⠀
Young Men Strong! ⠀
