#BlackHistoryMonth DAY 17 #latepost
Elijah McCoy lived ca1843-1929. He was an engineer, a lifetime inventor, and a perfectionist. His parents were slaves who escaped to freedom in Canada via the Underground Railroad. Elijah was educated in Edinburgh, Scotland, where he became fascinated with the study of mechanical engineering. He moved to the United States and settled in Detroit, Michigan where, after having trouble finding work due to racism, he took a job in a fire station. It was here that Elijah noticed the inefficiency of the contemporary trains, and the daily oiling of all the working parts. This inspired him to found the “Elijah McCoy Manufacturing Company”. In 1872, he received a U.S. Patent for his new “lubricator cup”. The cup began to streamline the steam engine, saving operators valuable time and money. Elijah received patents for more than 50 modifications to the lubricator cup and also went on to perfect 42 inventions that modernized machinery all over the world. When copies of his inventions were offered to prospective buyers, people would say they want “the real McCoy”. This phrase has come to describe any instrument or process that is flawless in quality and performance. #DontMindMeImJustThinking #history #blackhistory #blackhistoryfacts #knowledge #wisdom #Africa #America #blacklivesmatter #power #instagood #stepyourthinkinggameup #melanin #god #hiddencolors #BHM #culture #theculture #hiphop #rap #rnb #soul #melanatedpeople #truth #blackpeople #blackfolks