Prolific inventor Frederick McKinley Jones, pioneer of mobile refrigeration, receives a patent for an internal-combustion engine control device.
At a Glance
- Date
- 2 September 1958
- Location
- Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Key people
- Frederick McKinley Jones
- Category
- Science, Medicine & Invention
- Source
- U.S. Patent records (1958) · U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
What It Meant Then
His refrigeration inventions transformed the transport of food and medicine.
What It Means Now
Jones held more than 60 patents and co-founded what became Thermo King.
Cite this page
- MLA
- “Frederick McKinley Jones Patents an Engine Control Device.” Black-History.com, 30 Sept. 2026, https://black-history.com/on-this-day/frederick-mckinley-jones-patents-an-engine-control-device/.
- APA
- Black-History.com Editors. (2026, September 30). Frederick McKinley Jones Patents an Engine Control Device. Black-History.com. https://black-history.com/on-this-day/frederick-mckinley-jones-patents-an-engine-control-device/
- Chicago
- Black-History.com Editors. “Frederick McKinley Jones Patents an Engine Control Device.” Black-History.com. September 30, 2026. https://black-history.com/on-this-day/frederick-mckinley-jones-patents-an-engine-control-device/.
Editorial Note
By the Black-History.com editors. Last reviewed 30 September 2026. To suggest a primary source or a correction, write to editors@black-history.com or use our corrections form.