June 27, 1939 Frederick McKinley Jones of Minneapolis, Minnesota received patent number 2,163,754 for his invention of a ticket dispensing machine. His machine was designed to be operated by a relatively unskilled person and was made in such a way that jamming was practically impossible. However, should jamming occur, the machine would continue to operate. Jones was born May 17, 1893 in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1912, Jones moved to Hallock, Minnesota and after serving in the United States Army during World War I, taught himself electronics and built a transmitter for the town’s radio station. Around 1935, Jones designed a portable air-cooling unit for trucks carrying perishable food and received patent number 2,303,857 for it on July 12, 1940. His air coolers made it possible to ship perishable food long distances during any time of the year. His units were also important during World War II, preserving blood, medicine, and food. During his lifetime, Jones was awarded 61 patents, mostly for refrigeration equipment, but also for portable X-ray machines, sound equipment, and gasoline engines. In 1944, Jones became the first African American to be elected into the American Society of Refrigeration Engineers. Jones died February 21, 1961 and in 1991 was posthumously awarded the National Medal of Technology by President George H. W. Bush, the first African American to receive the award
