Frederick McKinley Jones was a prolific early 20th Century black inventor who helped to revolutionize both the cinema and refrigeration industries. Between 1919 and 1945 he patented more than sixty inventions in divergent fields with forty of those patents in refrigeration. He is best known for inventing the first automatic refrigeration system for trucks. Jones was born on May 17, 1893 in Cincinnati, Ohio. His mother died when he was nine, and he was forced to drop out of school. A priest in Covington, Kentucky, raised him until he was sixteen. Upon leaving the rectory, Jones began working as a mechanic’s helper at the R.C. Crothers Garage in Cincinnati. Jones would spend much of his time observing the mechanics as they worked on cars, taking in as much information as possible. These observations, along with an insatiable appetite for learning through reading helped Jones develop an incredible base of knowledge about automobiles and their inner workings. Within three years his skills and love for cars had netted him a promotion to shop foreman. By nineteen, he had built and driven several cars in racing exhibitions and soon became one of the most well know racers in the Great Lakes region. … Continue reading Frederick McKinley Jones (1893-1961)