What three innovations were ingeniously combined to make 105-day-old steak safe and delicious? In this episode of Johan Norberg’s New and Improved, Norberg outlines the components of the cold chain and how they were combined to revolutionize our lives.

The innovation that is known today as the cold chain made the modern food industry possible. By combining three forms of refrigeration, it allowed farmers to sell their surplus across the world, greatly reducing meal costs and making once exotic treats widely available.

Even with ship and home refrigerators, widespread long-distance shipping of perishable goods was a dream. Then a self-taught African-American mechanic invented a reliable truck refrigeration system and completed the cold chain, opening the door for the luxuries we have today.