June 27 - BlackFacts.com Black History Minute

BlackFacts.com presents the black fact of the day for June 27.

Frederick Jones invents the ticket dispensing machine.

He was an U.S. inventor credited with more than 60 patents.

After a challenging childhood, Jones taught himself mechanical and electrical engineering, inventing a range of devices relating to refrigeration, sound, and automobiles.

In the late 1920s, Jones designed a series of devices for the developing movie industry, which adapted silent movie projectors to use talking movie stock. He also developed an apparatus for the movie box office that delivers tickets and returns change to customers. 

In 1935, he invented the first automatic refrigeration system for long-haul trucks and railroad cars. This system eliminated the risk of food spoilage during long-distance shipping trips.

His invention radically altered American consumer's eating habits; now people could eat fresh produce across the United States during the middle of summer or winter. 

Over the course of his career, Jones received more than 60 patents. While the majority pertained to refrigeration technologies, others related to X-ray machines, engines and sound equipment.

He became the first African American elected to the American Society of Refrigeration Engineers. 

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