Black History Month

Frederick McKinley Jones

Frederick McKinley Jones was a great African American Inventor. He was born on 17th May 1893 in Minneapolis, USA and died on 21st February 1961. At his death he had 60 patents in his name.

During his 68 years on this planet he was acknowledged as a genius, an amazing human being and is credited with truly extraordinary inventions. His most notable, being the invention of the refrigeration process, which enabled perishable goods to be transported long distances. In fact, supermarkets may not exist today, had it not been for his invention.

As a child, it is said that he ‘loved’ to tinker with objects, always curious to find out how they worked, so inquisitive was he that he unassembled and reassembled numerous objects in the home. His father’s pocket watch was one of his first challenges, and apparently, he took it apart and reassembled it numerous times. This fascination with understanding “how things work” and finding solutions, meant that as an adult, he was the ‘go to’ person when local residents or businessmen had a problem they desperately wanted solved. Throughout his life he solved many complex problems and was sought after by industry and commerce.

He served in the US army. By profession he was a mechanic and it may be that he learned his trade whilst serving in the US army.

He was an avid reader. He taught himself electronics and was responsible for building a transmitter for his town’s radio station. He also devised a portable x-ray machine for a doctor in his town.

Due to his love of cars he was involved in the building of the first snowmobile. He invented air conditioning for vehicles. In the 1930’s together with a partner, he created microphones and transmitters.

Frederick McKinley Jones was the co-founder of Thermo King, a business which provides refrigerated transportation worldwide and is worth billions today. Where would supermarkets be today if Frederick McKinley Jones had not invented his mobile refrigeration process? This refrigeration process helped to save many lives when it was used during World War 2, to preserve blood serum and food, to save the lives of wounded soldiers. Today, the lucrative local and international exports of perishable goods owe their existence and success to him Frederick McKiney Jones.

Frederick McKinley Jones is in the USA Hall of Fame. He won the National medal of Technology and received many accolades. Throughout his lifetime he held more than 60 patents.
Some of his famous sayings include: “Believe in yourself”, don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty” “You have to read!”
We salute the genius of Frederick McKinley Jones during Black History Month and always.