The G-Line Express

Frederick M. Jones was a self-taught mechanical engineer. Jones had a wide range of expertise from auto repairs to radio transmitter technology. Note:  This is the final article of a seven-part series about black inventors in honor of Black History Month. By Craig T. Greenlee As America entered the 1930s, most of the travel lines linking the country together had been developed. Many products could be transported by truck or be shipped anywhere in the U.S. This wasn't true for many food products. Spoilage was the chief culprit that prevented many food producers from earning the profits they desired. Frederick M. Jones, a refrigeration engineer, reversed that trend by patenting an automatic refrigeration system for long-distance trucks in 1935. His cooling system used one of his previous inventions, the self-starting gasoline motor. Jones's refrigeration system allowed producers to transport a wide variety of fresh meats, seafood, poultry, vegetables and ...

Note:  This is the sixth of a seven-part series about black inventors in honor of Black History Month. By Craig T. Greenlee At the turn of the 20th century, America's population was beginning to become predominantly urban. This meant providing additional services such as fire protection of city residents. Being a fireman during the early 1900s had  more than its share of dangers. Smoke inhalation was one of the major occupational hazards. But that was no longer the case after 1914, thanks to the invention of the gas mask by Garrett A. Morgan. Inventive simplicity The Morgan Safety Hood, as it was called, was a simple but effective device. Its construction kept smoke and noxious fumes out while the air inhaled remained cool and free of smoke particles. Morgan, a native of Kentucky, may have been the first black inventor to use marketing strategies to bolster the sales of an invention. He used advertising in newspapers and firemen's magazines and de...

Granville T. Woods turned down lucrative offers from Thomas Edison. Because of his inventiveness, Woods is known as "the Black Edison." Note:  This is the fifth of a seven-part series on black inventors in honor of Black History Month. By Craig T. Greenlee When the railroads began to emerge as the America's major mode of transportation, the safety factor was a major concern. It wasn't uncommon for trains to crash into one another on the tracks. There was no existing system that could prevent such mishaps. Granville T. Woods had the answer -- an induction telegraph. Rail car collisions decreased drastically thanks to the induction telegraph. Because of Woods' innovation, rail dispatchers were able to determine the position of any train on its route while it was in motion. The telegraph could also be used to send and receive messages while the train was in motion with as many as 200 operators using the same line. Won all legal challenges rega...

When Elijah McCoy returned to America after getting his training in Scotland nobody wanted to hire him as an engineer. Nevertheless, McCoy invented a lubrication device which proved to be a game changer for the shipping and manufacturing industries. Note:  This is the fourth of a seven-part series on black inventors in honor of Black History Month. By Craig T. Greenlee To realize his dream of becoming an engineer, Elijah McCoy found it necessary to acquire the training he needed on foreign soil. So, he enrolled in an apprenticeship program for mechanical engineers in Scotland. Convinced that his background would practically guarantee him a job in America, McCoy returned to "the land of the free," but found out that employers were not interested. Those same employers would soon discover that the man they refused to hire, created a series of lubricating devices that revolutionized the shipping and manufacturing industries. The Industrial Age was here to stay...

Norbert Rillieux's" multiple effect vaparator" device revolutionized the sugar refining industry. In some circles, this invention is hailed as the greatest in the field of chemical engineering. Note: This is the third of a seven-part series on black inventors in recognition of Black History Month. By Craig T. Greenlee College degrees in any field of study were non-existent for blacks in early America. But Norbert Rillieux was one of the notable exceptions to the rule of that day. Norbert Rillieux  Rillieux was Creole, whose father declared him to be a free person. This pioneer chemical engineer masterminded an evaporating system that provided a more efficient process for refining sugar. Educated at a French university in Paris, young Rillieux became a steam engine efficiency expert while teaching at his alma mater. Yet, he longed to return to his father's sugar plantation in  Louisiana with a superior sugar refining method. In 1834, Rillieu...

Benjamin Banneker excelled as an astronomer, surveyor and inventor. Note:  This the second of a seven-part series on black inventors in celebration of Black History Month. By Craig T. Greenlee The earliest of the black innovators were on the scene in America several years before the colonies broke ties with England. Benjamin Banneker made a name for himself as an inventor, surveyor and astronomer. In 1761, Banneker produced the first American-made clock, using his pocket watch as a guide. The clock was made entirely of wood. Banneker used an assortment of knives of whittle the parts and a caliper to gauge the size of the timepiece's components. One of Banneker's most notable feats came about because of happenstance. As things turned out, it was fortunate that he was around and available. Without him, Washington, D.C. may not ever have been built as America's capital city. He is credited as the man who designed the nation's capital. Banneker to th...

Thomas L. Jennings was the first black American to receive a  patent in the U.S.. He is known as the inventor of dry cleaning. Note: This is the first of a seven-part series that will run during Black History Month.  By Craig T. Greenlee Black inventors in today's America have steadily progressed in their professions because of access to better schools and the willingness of government and private enterprise to employ their skills. This hasn't always been the case. But there have always been inventive black folks, dating back to the early years of this nation. In many instances, the contributions of these innovators helped accelerate America's growth into one of the world's commercial Goliaths. Unlike their present-day counterparts, black inventors in early America faced numerous obstacles in their quest for excellence. The then commonly held notion that blacks could only work with their hands and not their heads, created the most formidable hurdle -...