Introduction
“There are three things to do to become successful. First, don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty… Second, you have to read. Find out what others know…And third, you have to believe in yourself….”
(Jones, 1953, as cited in Minnesota IT Services, 2020)
Frederick McKinley Jones made this statement after receiving the merit award from the Phyllis Wheatley Auxiliary for his outstanding achievements throughout his lifetime. His utterance aimed to inspire the youths and the public to work hard, as nothing is easily achieved. To get experience, people must perform some tasks.
Jones urged the public to get educated, as knowledge was critical in facilitating his innovations. He also emphasized the need to be confident and self-believing, which are significant in steering a person toward success, as nothing is impossible. Today’s benefits, such as long-distance delivery of perishable goods, are due to the incredible innovations made in the early twentieth century. As one of the most notable African Americans with a humble beginning, Frederick McKinley Jones greatly impacted the world through his accomplishments, such as mobile refrigeration and wireless broadcasting transmitters.
Early Life
One of the most outstanding African American leaders in technology was the Minnesota inventor Frederick Jones. He was born on 17 May 1893 in Covington and died of lung cancer in 1961 (Stroud, 2021). His mother was Black, but his father, John Jones, was white and worked on the railroads. After his mother’s death, Frederick was taken to a boarding school to attain a proper education, but he ran away (Stroud, 2021).
Being an orphan at an early age, Jones did not gain formal education beyond the eighth grade (Minnesota IT Services, 2020). His knowledge of technology came from his willingness to study independently. He worked on equipment he had no formal training to repair.
In 1912, McKinley moved to Hallock, a small rural town occupied by whites, where he developed friendships with many young people (Stroud, 2021). Later, he became the chief mechanical engineer on a farm owned by James Hill, where he was trained in electricity and operating steam locomotive engines to pass a test and obtain an engineering license (Stroud, 2021). His approval paved the way for his many innovations that have impacted today’s world.
Beginning of Career
Influence from People
Frederick could now work with recognized organizations after attaining the license. In 1918, he joined the United States Army under a Minnesota regiment (Stroud, 2021). McKinley was stationed in France, where he was tasked with rewiring some camps, repairing vehicles, and maintaining telegraph and telephone systems (Stroud, 2021).
James Hill influenced him through the education program, which facilitated his acquisition of knowledge about engineering. Through this, he got his license at 20 before upgrading it to the highest grade (Stroud, 2021). The army also influenced Jones by promoting him to sergeant, where he worked as an electrician and taught other soldiers.
After his service in 1919, he returned to Hallock, where he met with Joseph Numero, who owned an audio equipment manufacturing company (Minnesota IT Services, 2020). Numero hired Jones as an electrical engineer to improve the firm’s audio equipment. This employment helped Frederick explore his talent further and develop new technologies.
Start of the Career Journey
Jones’s self-education ability made him an outstanding inventor from an early age. He displayed an early gift in mechanics as he was extremely fond of taking anything machine-like apart and reassembling it with improved performance. He showed great interest in automobile mechanics and felt he could learn more through experience than traditional education methods. His intellectual curiosity and ability to understand the mechanical nature of any device paved the way for his career development. Jones became a full-time mechanic at 14, and a year later, he supervised the others (InTrans, 2018).
While working in the garage at age 14, he interacted with machines and learned how they functioned (Minnesota IT Services, 2020). With his passion for race driving, McKinley helped develop race cars with advanced features. After getting fired at nineteen, he worked in farm machinery, furnace, and steamship repair and maintenance (InTrans, 2018). Later, he relocated to Hallock and worked there for eighteen years before joining the army for World War I, where his talent was developed further (InTrans, 2018). Despite having a successful career path, Frederick faced some shortcomings.
Challenges Faced
Racial discrimination was a great challenge experienced by many black Americans during the early twentieth century. As a black person, Frederick McKinley faced many issues since childhood, but this did not deter him from achieving his dream. He lacked formal education as he dropped out of school early. He was orphaned at a young age and was forced to support himself instead of attending school.
As an adult, he was not allowed to participate in racing despite being the inventor of modified racing cars. After getting sacked at nineteen, racial barriers in the South made it difficult for him to get employment despite being talented in mechanics (Stroud, 2021). Despite these shortcomings, his unique gift made him known to the world, often resulting in him getting employed occasionally, and now the impact can be seen.
Significant Accomplishments
Innovations
Frederick McKinley invented several machines that have impacted people’s lives until today. In 1927, he developed a sound system for projectors that enabled silent movie projections to play movies with background sound (Stroud, 2021). He invented a box-office device that automatically distributed tickets, making the process much more manageable (Stroud, 2021).
In 1937, while Jones was driving on a hot summer day, he resolved to invent vehicle air conditioning (Stroud, 2021). That same year, the drivers’ and farmers’ painful experiences of their products going to waste inspired him to invent the roof-mounted cooling system (Minnesota IT Services, 2020). He also created a portable refrigerator that allowed medicine and blood to be transported to Europe from America (Stroud, 2021). Jones also invented an air conditioning unit that kept blood serum from spoiling in field hospitals (InTrans, 2018). His final invention was the portable X-ray machine (Stroud, 2021). These products have had long-lasting impacts since their creation.
Impact on the World
Jones’s revolutionary works greatly impacted America and the outside world. The portable cooling system made it easy to transport perishable items, leading to increased profit then and now as the products reached their destination in good condition (Minnesota IT Services, 2020). It was an immediate success among Jones’s many innovations and dramatically changed the face of the food and shipping industries. The portable refrigeration units were beneficial during the Second World War. They facilitated the transportation of medical supplies, blood, and food to United States soldiers worldwide (Stroud, 2021).
It is now possible to get blood donations from donors who are far away, and the blood can be kept fresh for an extended period. Currently, this innovation is used to transport vital body organs, such as the heart and kidneys, for transplant. As a result of Fredericks’s accomplishments, the world and America are very different in the movie and food industries.
How the World Is Different
The innovations made in the twentieth century are still impactful today and have been improved and made more effective. Frederick’s mobile refrigeration equipment has transformed Americans’ eating habits by providing access to fresh products all year (Minnesota IT Services, 2020). Food safety during shipment has increased, and accessibility worldwide is much more manageable.
His work had a global impact on agricultural produce, including the creation of a worldwide market for all food items, including fish, vegetables, and other products such as flowers. Those with organ failure problems benefit as donated organs are made accessible in good condition, thus reducing the mortality rate. Most of Frederick’s patents were refrigeration-related and have immensely impacted people’s social lives.
Conclusion
Frederick McKinley Jones was born and raised in America as a black American. He lost his parents early, forcing him to fend for himself. James Mill and the American army influenced the man by allowing him to enhance his creativity. He started his career by assembling home appliances and later majored in car mechanics. He self-educated himself and gained knowledge of how many electrical appliances work and perform.
He faced racial discrimination but endured and made significant accomplishments, such as mobile and portable refrigerators. His realizations changed the world and are still beneficial, especially in the food and medical industries. It is now possible to transport perishable products over long distances without fear of them getting spoiled.
References
InTrans. (2018). Frederick McKinley Jones: Refrigeration engineer. Institute for Transportation. Web.
Minnesota IT Services. (2020). African American Leaders in Tech: Part 4. Minnesota IT Services; Minnesota IT Services. Web.
Stroud, C. M. (2021). Black Inventors and Innovators: Frederick McKinley Jones. Spokesman-Recorder. Web.