In July 1940, Frederick McKinley Jones patented a refrigeration unit designed to withstand the repeated jolts of a moving truck. It was one of the first such units to allow road transport. Before this, meat and dairy could not travel long distances on the road without spoiling. According to the National Inventors Hall of Fame, his invention became the basis for modern refrigerated trucking, helping grocery stores carry fresh meat and dairy from long distances.
From runaway orphan to self-taught mechanic
