Frederick McKinley Jones
Frederick McKinley Jones was an American inventor who designed a practical automatic refrigeration unit for long-haul trucks in the late 1930s and co-founded the company that became Thermo King.
What they did and why it matters
Jones made it possible to keep food cold over long road trips, which is the foundation of today's refrigerated trucking and cold chain fulfillment. His compact, vibration-resistant refrigeration unit replaced ice and salt and let perishable goods travel far from where they were produced. With Joseph Numero he founded the U.S. Thermo Control Company, later Thermo King, and he held 61 patents, many in refrigeration. He was the first African American to receive the National Medal of Technology, awarded after his death. Brands shipping food, supplements, or pharmaceuticals in reefers depend on technology he started.
Related people
Sources
- Frederick McKinley Jones (National Inventors Hall of Fame) invent.org
- Frederick McKinley Jones (Wikipedia) en.wikipedia.org