Elijah McCoy - Google Doodle Canadian-Born American Engineer

Share this on WhatsApp

Google, the search company Google has been celebrating birthdays of the Canadian-born American engineer Elijah McCoy, who worked on the steam engine lubrication and invented the oil cup for lubrication by releasing the release of an animation Doodle on May 2nd 2022. Here are some interesting and enjoyable facts that you need to be aware of.

Here’s a look into his life, work and legacy of Elijah McCoy.

Personal

Birth name: Elijah J. McCoy
Birthdate: May 2, 1844
Birthplace: Colchester, Ontario, Canada
Died on: October 10, 1929 (aged 85)
Death place: Detroit, Michigan, United States
Resting location: Detroit Memorial Park East in Warren, Michigan, U.S.
Sun sign: Taurus
Nationality: American, Canadian
Education Mechanical engineering
Spouse: Mary Eleanor Delaney (m. 1873-1922), Ann Elizabeth Stewart (m. 1868-1872)
Mother’s Name: Mildred McCoy
Father’s name: George McCoy
The is a well-known an engineer inventor, inventor, originally employed as a railroad fireman , and oiler
is known by: McCoy was a Black inventor who developed steam engine technology by creating an automatic lubricator Oil Cup inventor
Awards and Honors: National Inventors Hall of Fame

Also Read: Gama Pehlwan: Google Doodle celebrates Indian pehlwani wrestler

35 Fun and Interesting Facts about Elijah McCoy

Elijah McCoy was born on May 2, 1844 at Colchester, Ontario, Canada. His parents — George McCoy and Mildred McCoy been subjected to slavery from birth, and were freedom seekers who left Kentucky to Canada through the Underground Railroad. George McCoy enlisted in the British forces and, as a result his service, he was given the land of 160 acres in exchange for his work.
Elijah McCoy was a Black American inventor who received over 50 patents on his inventions throughout his life. The most famous invention was a cup which fed the oil that lubricates machine bearings using a small tube. Engineers and mechanics who desired authentic McCoy oil lubricators could have referred to the term “the authentic McCoy”–a phrase that means “the real deal” or “the genuine article.”
Most well-known as the inventor of mechanical lubrication technology for steam engine, Elijah McCoy likewise had another 57 U.S. patents to his name. The initials, McCoy, is a likely source of the phrase “The real McCoy.” The state of Michigan considers his historical contributions in many ways, including a historical marker in his home of former. He was praised in the book Booker T. Washington’s book Story of the Negro as one of the most prominent black inventors.
Elijah McCoy was a 19th-century Canadian born American creator of African origin, and is credited with having more than the number of U.S. patents to his name. In his lifetime He invented numerous inventions including the Mechanical Lubricator. He is among the most well-known inventions of American history. He was honored in 2001. received a prestigious honor by an honorary induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
The father of 12 children was Mildred as well as George McCoy. He was married in 1868. got married to his first wife, Ann Elizabeth Stewart. Ann died within four years of their wedding. His second wedding was with Mary Eleanor Delaney in 1873. The wedding also ended when Mary died in 1922. They had no children.
When Elijah McCoy was 3, his family relocated into the U.S. and settled in Detroit, Michigan. They then moved towards Ypsilanti, Michigan, where George started a business in tobacco. In fact, even as a child was a fan of playing with machines and tools and exploring the possibilities of different ways to fix and expanding the machines.
Elijah McCoy was educated in the black schools of Colchester Township because of the 1850 Common Schools act which isolated the Upper Canadian schools in 1850. At the age of 15, in 1859 Elijah McCoy was shipped off Edinburgh, Scotland for an apprenticeship and further study. After a certain period of time the engineer was licensed in Scotland as an engineer in mechanical engineering. When he returnedto Scotland, his family George McCoy family had set the foundations for their property that belonged to John as well as Maryann Starkweather in Ypsilanti. George employed his expertise as a tobacconist in the establishment of the business of tobacco and cigars.
At the age of 15 Elijah McCoy left the United States to pursue an apprenticeship in mechanical engineering at Edinburgh, Scotland. After obtaining his certification and gaining his certification, he returned to Michigan to look for a job in his area of expertise.
When Elijah McCoy arrived in Michigan it was possible to get work as an oiler and fireman for the Michigan Central Railroad. In a machine shop that was based at home located in Ypsilanti, Michigan, McCoy was also a skilled and skilled work in the field, such as creating modifications and new ideas. He developed an automatic grease lubricator to oil the steam engines in locomotives as well as ships. He protected it in 1872 under the title “Improvement in Lubricators for Steam-Engines”.
However, Elijah McCoy — like many Black Americans at the time–faced discrimination based on race that prevented him from being able to get a job suitable to his education.
Thanks to his training, Elijah McCoy had the choice of distinguishing and dealing with the problems of engine lubrication and excessive heat. At the time trains were required to occasionally stop and coated with lubricant to avoid overheating.
Elijah McCoy developed a lubricator for steam engines that didn’t require trains to cease to run. His lubrication system made use of the pressure of steam to move oil at any where it was needed.
McCoy received a patent for his invention in 1872. It was the first of many patents granted to him for his improvements to steam engine greasers. These innovations further advanced transportation by allowing trains to travel further without having to stop for maintenance or oiling.
Elijah McCoy’s device was a step forward in train systems. Versions of the lubricator later showed up in mining and oil drilling equipment, as well as factories and in construction tools.
McCoy was constantly improving his automatic lubricator and developing plans for the development of new tools. Shipping lines and railroads began using McCoy’s lubricators, along with the Michigan Central Railroad elevated him to the rank of teacher with the application of his latest inventions.
Then, Elijah McCoy became a consultant to the railroad industry regarding patent issues. McCoy also secured patents for his inventions, which included an ironing board as well as a lawn sprinkler. He was hoping to simplify the amount of work involved in his house chores.
In 1882, McCoy quit his position at his employer, the Michigan Central Railroad to commit the entire amount of his capital to his own inventions. He and his wife were able to settle in a planned area in Detroit and accepted an offer to work as an engineer consultant to the Detroit Lubricating Company. He was constantly grappling with the subject that initially caught his interest — the issue of providing constant and reliable oil to trains on railroads.
in 1922 Elijah McCoy and his wife Mary were involved in a vehicle accident. Mary passed away of her injuries. McCoy was suffering from health problems until the end of his life. This made it difficult to fulfill what he was required to do as a professional.
The phrase “the genuine McCoy”–meaning “the real thing” (not a counterfeit or inferior imitation) is a well-known concept of speech for English people. It is not clear what the exact meaning of the word is.
Some researchers believe it’s a reference to some believe it’s from the Scottish “the real McKay,” that was previously mentioned in a poem from 1856. Other researchers believe that the expression was initially used by railroad engineers who were searching to find “the real McCoy system,” the lubricator that was equipped with McCoy’s drip-cup automatic instead of a flimsy imitation.
Whatever the origin it has been associated with McCoy for quite some time. Since 2006 Andrew Moodie developed a show based on McCoy’s invention called “The Real McCoy.”
In the years following 1910 Elijah McCoy focused his efforts on the design of Lubrication systems that could be used to lubricate compressed air brakes in automobiles and locomotives.
One of the most notable inventions by Elijah Mccoy was a device that supplied two lubricants that were delivered to the most critical parts of the brake system. This was an oil-based mixture and graphite — which is a kind of carbon that is applied to the pistons of steam cylinders and an application of graphite in the form of a simple coating on the pistons of the air cylinders. This invention led to an enormous increase in the safety and effectiveness in the use of brakes using air.
Elijah McCoy kept on creating until the end of his life and he was able to acquire upwards of 57 patents, the majority focused on lubrication, but some also included an ironing board that folds up and lawn sprinkler. In the absence of capital to manufacture his lubricators on large scale, he usually assigned the rights to his patents to his employers or transferred the rights to investors. Lubricators bearing the McCoy name weren’t manufactured until 1920, which was close to the apex of his professional career. At that point, he created an organization called the Elijah McCoy Manufacturing Company to develop them.
The year 1920 was when Elijah McCoy opened his own business called his company, the Elijah McCoy Manufacturing Company, to manufacture his own products instead of selling his ideas to other organizations (a large portion of his designs did not feature the name of his creator). The company was created to manufacture and market a few of his products, such as the well-known graphite lubricator designed to lubricate a brand new locomotive named”superheater. “superheater.”
In the end, McCoy suffered in his late years, suffering mental, financial and physical breakdown, which landed his being admitted to the hospital. He passed away on the 10th of October 1929, of hypertension-related senile degeneration after a year of being at the Eloise Infirmary in Michigan. McCoy was buried at Detroit Memorial Park East in Warren, Michigan.
Booker T. Washington referred to Elijah McCoy in his “Story of the Negro” as the Black inventor with the most quantity of U.S. patents. Booker T. Washington in Story of the Negro (1909) recognized him for having made more patents than any other black inventor up to that time. This innovation gave McCoy an enviable position within the black community, which continues to endure until today.
1966, an advertisement to promote Old Taylor bourbon referred to Elijah McCoy with a photograph and the phrase “the real McCoy”, ending with the tagline “But the most famous legacy McCoy left his country was his name.”
Through the years, he sold his rights to huge number of his patents, and was unable to pay for them in money and in health. in 1974 the State of Michigan placed a historical marker (P25170) on the McCoys residence located at 5720 Lincoln Avenue, and at his burial site. in 1975 Detroit was the first city to celebrate Elijah McCoy Day by putting a historical marker at the location of his residence. In addition, the city named a road in the area after Elijah McCoy.
As of 2001, Elijah McCoy was drafted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. A historic marker is still visible outside his former work space at Ypsilanti, Michigan, and the Elijah J. McCoy Midwest Regional U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in Detroit is named after him.
It was in the year 2006 that Canadian actor Andrew Moodie’s The Real McCoy depicted McCoy’s experiences, the obstacles faced by him being and African American, and the development of his ideas. The play premiered in Toronto and later produced within the United States, for example in Saint Louis, Missouri, in the year 2011, when it was presented in The Black Rep Theatre.
The novel Noughts and Crosses Malorie Blackman depicts a racial dystopia where the roles of white and black people are reversed; Elijah McCoy is among the black inventors, scientists and pioneers mentioned in a history class Blackman “never learned about in school”.
In 2011, Michigan U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow composed an amendment to the Patent Reform Act of 2011 to establish an initial satellite office for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
On the 13th of July 2012 on July 13, 2012, on July 13, 2012, the Elijah J. McCoy Midwest Regional U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (the first USPTO satellite office) was officially opened within Detroit, Michigan.
In May of 2022 Google displayed an Doodle on its home page for commemorating Elijah J. McCoy’s birthday. Elijah J. McCoy.