Black History: First portable refrigerator developed by Cincinnatian in 1893

By Professor Sterling Haynes: Be glad that an African American Man saved the food supply chain.Frederick McKinley Jones was born on May 17, 1893, in Cincinnati, Ohio. As a naturally skilled mechanic, he furthered his knowledge through self-education, and reading study materials.In the 1900s reliable food distribution was an ongoing mess. Blocks of ice used to keep food cold would melt on hot summer days, spoiling entire shipments of products.To redeem this logistics issue, Inventor Frederick Jones and Sound Equipment Manufacturer Joseph Numero created the Thermo King company in 1938.Jones developed the first portable refrigeration units for troops stationed overseas in World War II. Soldiers were supplied with fresh food, cold drinks, medicine, and plasma. Jones was awarded the Mobile Refrigeration U.S. Patent No. 2,303,857.Mobile refrigeration technology gave birth to the frozen food industry. Food banks can rely on massive distribution networks to transport fresh meat from farmers across the country on a regular basis.Jones became the first African American to be elected to the American Society of Refrigeration Engineers and awarded the National Medal of Technology. He died on February 21, 1961, from lung cancer. He held more than sixty patents and was inducted in the national inventor’s hall...