Why was Elijah McCoy called the Real McCoy?
This popular expression, typically meaning the real thing, has been incorrectly attributed to Elijah McCoy’s oil-drip cup invention. One theory is that railroad engineers looking to avoid inferior copies would request it by name, and inquire if a locomotive was fitted with „the real McCoy system“.
Where did Elijah McCoy go to school at?
Born in Ontario, Canada in May 1844 to parents who had escaped slavery in America, Elijah McCoy showed an early interest in mechanics and, aged 15, was sent to Scotland for an apprenticeship and to study mechanical engineering at the University of Edinburgh.
Where was Elijah McCoy’s home in Detroit Michigan?
1974, The state of Michigan put an historical marker (P25170) at the McCoys‘ former home at 5720 Lincoln Avenue, and at his gravesite. 1975, Detroit celebrated Elijah McCoy Day by placing a historic marker at the site of his home. The city also named a nearby street for him.
How many brothers and sisters did Elijah McCoy have?
Elijah McCoy had 11 siblings. Ten of the children were born in Canada from Alfred (1836) to William (1859). Based on 1860 Tax Assessment Rolls, land deeds of sale, and the 1870 USA Census it can be determined George McCoy’s family moved to Ypsilanti, Michigan in 1859–60.
Why was Elijah McCoy’s lubricator Cup so important?
And railroad purchasing agents often insisted on buying “the real McCoy.” What makes Elijah McCoy so memorable, is that his lubricator cup revolutionized the locomotive industry, and the device was also adaptable to other types of steam engines, which were used in factories and on steam ships.
When did Elijah McCoy get his first patent?
Elijah McCoy was issued his first patent – US patent #129,843 – on July 12th, 1872 for his improvement in lubricators for steam engines.