Elijah McCoy – inventor
By
John C Abercrombie
Many people have heard the expression “The Real McCoy” but don’t have any idea of the origin or significance of either the invention that created it or the man behind the invention itself.
Elijah McCoy was born in Colchester, Ontario, Canada to George and Mildred McCoy on May 2, 1844. The McCoys were escaped slaves from Kentucky who had fled to Canada looking for freedom and the opportunities to enjoy the fruits of their hard work. Something that was not possible in the United States. The family was able to flee to Canada thanks to the Underground Railroad.
The underground railroad was not actually a railroad, but a network of secret routes with “safe houses” along the way. Safehouses were secret places where runaways could find sanctuary or a place to hide from the law or slave catchers. This was necessary and posed a danger to the owner of the house as the fugitive slave laws made it a crime to hid or aid in the aid of a runaway regardless of your own personal conviction or sympathies against the heinous practice of slavery.
Most African-American slaves escaped to the free states, Canada and Nova Scotia although there were routes of the underground that went South to Mexico and other places.
In 1847, the McCoy family returned to the United States and set up hours in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Elijah’s father George was a tobacconist and established a tobacco and cigar business.
Elijah showed a strong interest in anything mechanical. He was able to take things apart, see how it worked and reassemble it into its workable state. Because his father had some means as a business owner to see to his son’s education, Elijah was able to travel to Scotland and enter an apprenticeship in mechanical engineering.
Educational opportunities for Blacks, even those who could afford it were severely limited in the United States. This is the reason Elijah went to Scotland. He returned to Michigan after becoming certified as a mechanical engineer.
As so frequently happens in the United States, Blacks, even those highly qualified were denied jobs. McCoy was unable to find work as an engineer. Skilled professional positions were not available for African Americans.
The best job available to this highly skilled man was that of a fireman and oiler on the Michigan Central Railroad. Trains were a major way of moving freight, but the trains required frequent oiling.
Oiling was done with the train stopped, which was a big problem. Trains don’t make money when they are not moving.
McCoy was a trained mechanical engineer and set up a home-based machine shop in his home in Ypsilanti, Michigan, where he worked on inventions. It is here that he invented an automatic lubricator for the oiling system of steam engines used on locomotives and ships.
That patent was U.S. Patent 129,843 and was known as an “Improvement in Lubricators for Steam-Engines”.
McCoy, a trained engineer studied the inefficiencies in the system and invented the lubricating cup, described above, that distributed oil to the engines moving parts while it was still operating. This allowed trains to run continuously for long periods and over great distances without stopping for this essential maintenance.
Realizing the importance of McCoy’s invention, others tried to copy it, but their product did not have the quality of those produced by McCoy, so when people were looking at systems, they did not want the poorly made imitations and insisted on “The Real McCoy”. This has become the standard by which other products are measured.
McCoy was able to patent his invention, however limited resources to do the actual manufacturing in large numbers, he would assign patent rights to his employer or sell them to investors. A man of vision, he continued to refine his devices and received 57 patents during his lifetime.
Most of McCoy’s patents were for lubrication systems, he also patented an ironing board and a lawn sprinkler among other inventions.
In 1920, he was able to fulfill a dream and formed the Elijah McCoy Manufacturing Company to produce lubricators bearing his name.
Amazing Black History provides quality information and recognizes the need for additional study. To this end, we provide a list of books, special offers and videos. Keep in mind that these are intended to give you a solid foundation and encourage the study of not only this subject, but others that may start your passion, whatever that may be.
To those ends, we depend on your support of the offers that we think are of great value to you. Please feel free to use them, share them and the posts and site.
Thank you for your support!
As you scroll down through the books and videos, you will encounter some value offers. These take you directly to Amazon where you can do all your shopping. We encourage you to use our links as we receive a small royalty without cost to you. These funds help us continue to provide you with quality information.
To see the full listing of posts, click on our Blog list
For Black History Month 2020, we posted daily. To see the posts, click here
To comment or make suggestions on future posts, use Contact Us
We encourage you to share the site on social media.
Use our links to Amazon anytime you shop Amazon. We receive a small royalty without cost to you. Continue to scroll for fascinating Videos and Books to enhance your learning experience.
Continue scrolling down for more amazing information, videos, books and value items.
**
The Everything Kids’ Science Experiments Book: Boil Ice, Float Water, Measure Gravity-Challenge the World Around You! (Everything® Kids)
With The Everything Kids’ Science Experiments Book, all you need to do is gather a few household items and you can recreate dozens of mind-blowing, kid-tested science experiments. High school science teacher Tom Robinson shows you how to expand your scientific horizons–from biology to chemistry to physics to outer space.
**
Biographies and Memoirs
People often wonder where you find stories of people such as those in the Posts on Amazing Black History. Stories of people who have fought the system, injustice and other obstacles and WON! The search starts with our Amazon affiliate link below
**
Elijah McCoy and His Inventions
**
Building Toys
Toys build imagination and lead to the mind that is inventive. Toys are not just for infants; they are for young and old alike. Toys stimulate the mind, stave off dementia and other cognitive losses and the search starts here. See our link below
**
All Aboard! Elijah McCoy’s Steam Engine (Great Idea Series)
In the second of Tundra’s Great Idea Series, biographies for children who are just starting to read, Monica Kulling presents the life of an extraordinary man. There were few opportunities for the son of slaves, but Elijah McCoy’s dreams led him to study mechanical engineering in Scotland. He learned everything there was to know about engines – how to design them and how to build them. But when he returned to the United States to look for work at the Michigan Central Railroad, the only job Elijah could get was shoveling coal into a train’s firebox. Undaunted, he went on to invent a means of oiling the engine while the train was running, changing the face of travel around the world. With playful text and lively illustrations, All Aboard! Elijah McCoy’s Steam Engine may be the first biography a child discovers, and it will whet the appetite for many more.
**
There are benefits for all hobbyists. Hobbies challenge us, keep us busy, stimulate our minds and can even turn into a profitable business. The range of hobbies is endless, and the search starts with our Amazon link below
**
A Moment in Black History – Elijah McCoy, inventor
**
Toys and Games for Learning and Education
There is nothing that says learning and education have to be a bore. Make it fun and stimulating. Challenge yourself, have fun and learn with these. Use our Amazon affiliate link below
ABH – toys and Games for Learing Education
**
ELIJAH MCCOY, SOFTCOVER, SINGLE COPY, BEGINNING BIOGRAPHIES
**
Puzzles
Inventors are problem solvers. They see a problem and come up with a solution. A great way to keep your brain active and able to solve problem is with puzzles and that search starts with our Amazon affiliate link below
**
Elijah McCoy Mechanical sounding
**
A great way to access information and entertainment is with the use of Audible. It is one of my personal favorite ways. Have access to material from any device. Pick up where you left off even on a different device. I have 100’s of books available, from comedy to mysteries to Great Courses. Amazing
**
The Real McCoy
Elijah McCoy, born in Canada to runaway American slaves, showed so much promise in school that he won a scholarship to study mechanical engineering at Edinburgh University. McCoy moved to the US, where no one believed a black man could be an engineer and so he was set to stoking boilers. Nevertheless, McCoy devised a solution to one of the greatest problems facing steam locomotion that was sold worldwide with the marketer’s proviso that McCoy’s race be concealed.
**
All-new Echo Dot (4th Gen) | Smart speaker with Alexa | Twilight Blue
A great way to access your Kindle books and so much more. I have my device read Kindle books to me and oh, so much more! All-new Echo Dot (4th Gen) | Smart speaker with Alexa | Twilight Blue
**
Elijah McCoy Includes 10 interesting facts about his life
**
Home Improvement – Power and Hand Tools
Again, the agile mind and a few skills and you have an unlimited ability to do projects and even save money and time. The search begins here using our Amazon affiliate link below
ABH – Home Improvement Power and Hand Tools
**
The Real Mccoy, The: Life of an African-American Inventor (blr) (A Blue Ribbon Book)
**
Try Prime with Discount – Some Restrictions Apply
**
Elijah McCoy, History Forgotten Great video
**
Try Amazon Prime 30 Day FREE Trial
**
All Things Are Possible: Learn from African Canadian History Makers Volume 1
Targeted for children ages 8 to 12, this book features six biographies of African Canadian History Makers whose lives exemplified strong character traits of perseverance, caring, excellence, critical thinking, fairness, and goal setting. Filled with interesting portraits of Viola Desmond, Rosemary Brown, Portia White, Elijah McCoy, Mifflin Wistar Gibbs, and Sam Langford, readers can learn more about these successful individuals and how they can develop these character traits in their own lives. The book includes varied fun activities (e.g., word search, crossword puzzle, creative writing, etc.) to reinforce key concepts.
**
Television and Video
**
Did You Know? – Elijah McCoy Short but sweet
**
Office Electronics
If you work from home or have a business, whenever there is a need for office electronics, start your search with our Amazon affiliate link below
**
Great African Americans Coloring Book (Dover History Coloring Book)
The lives and achievements of notable African Americans spring to life in this carefully researched and finely rendered coloring book. Spanning over 150 years of American history, the volume pays tribute to figures in civil rights, music, sports, politics, literature, government, and other areas. Forty-five ready-to-color illustrations depict a group of remarkable people — Dred Scott, a slave who sued for his freedom in 1838; Sojourner Truth, a crusader for women’s rights and racial equality; author Toni Morrison; Colin Powell, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and other notables, including Frederick Douglass, Ralph Ellison, W. E. B. Du Bois, Richard Wright, Rosa Parks, Duke Ellington, Muhammad Ali, Marcus Garvey, Jesse Jackson, Eubie Blake, Mother Hale, Thurgood Marshall, Katherine Dunham, Marian Anderson, and many others.
** Prime Student 6 Month Trial Prime Student 6-month Trial
**
How One Inventor Became A Household Name Adult animation
**
Elijah McCoy was an inventor. His most known invention gave us the expression “I want the real McCoy” because of the quality of his products. There are many with the same ability just waiting for the right time. Waiting is not going to get it done, you must chase your dream. You do it by taking action and having tenacity and perseverance. It is all possible if you only dream and have faith in yourself!