FREDERICK McKINLEY JONES

Jones (1892-1961) was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and after serving in World War I, he worked as a garage mechanic. His mastery of electronic devices led him to develop a self-starting gasoline motor. In the late 1920's Frederick 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., eliminating the problem of food spoilage during long shipping times and altering the American consumer's eating habits. Jones also developed an air-conditioning unit for military field hospitals and a refrigerator for military field kitchens. In total, he received over 60 patents.

LEWIS H. LATIMER

Latimer (1848-1928) was born in Chelsea, Massachusetts, and learned mechanical drawing in a patent attorney office in Boston. He invented a toilet system for railroad cars in 1873. Having invented an electric lamp with an inexpensive carbon filament, he supervised the installation of carbon filament electric lighting in New York City, Philadelphia, Montreal, and London. He was responsible for preparing the mechanical drawings for Alexander Graham Bell’s patent application for his telephone design. He joined the Edison Electric Light Company in 1884 as the only African-American and conducted research on electrical lighting. In 1890 he published Incandescent Electric Lighting, a technical engineering book which became a guide for lighting engineers.

ELIJAH McCOY

McCoy (1844-1929) was born in Ontario, Canada, the son of former slaves who had fled from Kentucky before the Civil War. Educated in Scotland as a mechanical engineer, McCoy returned to the U.S. and settled in Detroit, Michigan. His first invention was a lubricator for steam engines, issued in 1872, which would allow machines to remain in motion while being oiled. His new device revolutionized the machine industry and gave rise to the term "real McCoy" when it became so popular that people inspecting new equipment would ask if the device contained the real McCoy, i.e., the real thing. McCoy went on to establish his own firm and was responsible for a total of 57 patents, among which were an ironing board and lawn sprinkler. McCoy died after a year in an infirmary suffering from senile dementia caused by hypertension.