The feasts of Roman emperors were often graced by rare and exotic foods brought long distances packed in snow from the mountains.
That changed in 1938, when Harry Werner, a trucking executive in Minneapolis, complained to his golfing partner that he had lost a load of meat when one of his trucks broke down and the salty ice that it was packed in melted. The partner, J. A. Numero, a manufacturer of sound systems for movie theaters, said he could provide him with a better way to refrigerate a trailer in 30 days.
At the time, mechanical refrigeration was not unknown, but making a refrigerator that could be hauled over the roads was another matter.
It fell to Fred Jones, a business associate of Numero’s, to build a bulky, clumsy — but working — unit.
umero renamed his business U.S. Thermo Control Co., and Fred Jones became its vice president of engineering. The refrigeration unit was dubbed “Thermo King.â€
Today, Thermo King Corp. is one of two major players in the field of refrigeration units for trailers. The other is Carrier, which came to trailer refrigeration by a different route and has its own story to tell.
For the full story, see the July 5 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.
Transport Topics