The Real McCoy (Elijah McCoy) (Grades 1-10)

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office http://www.uspto.gov/ Picture Submitted by Elijah McCoy in His Patent Application for a Lubricator.

The "real McCoy" is a neat phrase that means "the real thing," "the genuine article." What is the origin of this popular expression? Some historians agree that it refers to an automatic lubricator that Elijah McCoy invented. Nineteenth-century industrial designers considered this invention very important because it solved a major mechanical problem. They knew that McCoy's invention, not copy-cat devices, worked so well that only "the real McCoy" would do.

McCoy, the son of African-American slaves who escaped to Canada, was born on May 2, 1843 (some sources say 1844), in Ontario. He attended school in Canada until he was 15, and then his family sent him to Scotland to apprentice as a mechanical engineer. Following the Civil War, McCoy returned to Canada and then went to the United States to find work as an engineer. He was not hired as an engineer, though, because of his race. Instead he got a job as a fireman-oilman on the Michigan Central Railroad.

Part of McCoy's job was to oil the moving parts of the train. At that time, machines with moving parts had to be shut down to be lubricated (imagine having to do this regularly with a washing machine or car). Every few miles, the train would have to stop so its parts could be oiled. McCoy recognized what a problem this "stop and oil" system was. He solved the problem by inventing an oil cup that automatically lubricated the train parts while the train was moving. The patent for his device was issued in 1872, and the popularity of the oil cup grew rapidly.

Unfortunately, although his invention was very popular, McCoy frequently encountered racism. "Often he was asked to speak, appear, or consult to some large company, only to have the invitation rescinded when it was discovered that he was Black. Some companies even canceled their orders for his lubricator despite the fact that they really needed it" (Brodie, 1993, p. 63). Fortunately, this by no means stopped McCoy.

McCoy created many refinements to his lubricator. Among them were solutions to the problem of lost oil (a great waste), lubricators that could use a variety of weights of oil and work at various pressures, and lubricators that worked with graphite. His work to overcome the friction created by moving parts was crucial to the proliferation of a variety of machines. By the time he died in 1929, he had been granted more than 50 patents.

References

Brodie, James Michael. (1993). Created Equal: The Lives and Ideas of Black American Innovators. New York: W. Morrow.

Jenkins, Edward Sidney. (1996). To Fathom More: African American Scientists and Inventors. Lanham, MD: University Press of America.

Men of the Month. (1920, October). The Crisis, vol. 20, no. 6, pp. 286-287.

Web Resources

1. Operation of Elijah McCoy's lubricator
   
   http://www.usi.edu/science/engrtech/MISC/emccoy/emccoy.htm
   Here you'll find biographical information about McCoy and links to additional resources, including illustrations of the operation of McCoy's lubricator in nine steps.
   
   
2. Elijah McCoy
   
   http://www.princeton.edu/~mcbrown/display/mccoy.html
   Brief biography of Elijah McCoy and useful bibliography, including many citations to books about African-American inventors.
   
   
3. The Black Inventor Online Museum
   
   http://www.blackinventor.com/
   (A Digital Dozen selection, ENC#028919) To get to a specific inventor, click on "people" in the lower left side of the screen. There is helpful information on this site about numerous American black inventors, including, of course, Elijah McCoy. The information is clearly written and is supported by good photographs and diagrams.
   
   

Classroom Resources from the ENC Collection

1. African-American inventors
   Date: 1996 Grade(s): 3 - 4 Cost: $15.95 ENC#: 015535
   Elijah McCoy is one of six inventors in this book, which includes a glossary, a bibliography, and addresses of several inventors' organizations.
   (For more details see ENC Record)
   
   
   
2. African American inventors
   Date: 1998 Grade(s): 5 - 9 Cost: $24.95 ENC#: 014244
   A well-illustrated reference, divided by historical sections. Many entries, including the biography of Elijah McCoy, incorporate pertinent glossary entries as sidebars within the text (for example, one in McCoy's section explains the patent process).
   (For more details see ENC Record)
   
   
   
3. Forces around us
   Date: 1998 Grade(s): K - 3 Cost: $6.95 ENC#: 016018
   For very young children. This well-illustrated book provides simple activities that illustrate forces (presented in an order that builds on previous ideas) and includes questions that encourage observation of daily life.
   (For more details see ENC Record)
   
   
   
4. Simple machines
   Date: 1998 Grade(s): K - 4 Cost: $5.95 ENC#: 018027
   Activities about the concepts of simple machines, including friction. Each activity includes a list of what is needed, what to do, an explanation of what happens, and a discussion of the concept (inclined plane, screw, etc.)
   (For more details see ENC Record)
   
   
   

Teacher Resources from the ENC Collection

1. Physical science. Grades 4-8: matter and motion
   Date: 1998 Grade(s): 4 - 8 Cost: $8.95 ENC#: 017308
   Includes activities illustrating Newton's first three laws of motion and an activity illustrating friction. Activities stress the identification of a problem and the forming and testing of hypotheses.
   (For more details see ENC Record)
   
   
   
2. The inventive thinking curriculum project: an outreach program of the United States Patent and Trademark Office
   Date: 1997 Grade(s): 4 - 9 Cost: Free ENC#: 027272
   Here is a group of interesting activities and suggestions you can use to help students dream up, develop, and display their own inventions. The book also provides information about inventors (including minority and women inventors) and famous inventions (such as Life-Savers). The appendix begins by presenting the clause in the U.S. Constitution that gives Congress the power to grant patents and copyrights. This is followed by a reproduction of the first patent granted in the new country, as well as copies of other patents, including ones for the Statue of Liberty, Edison's light bulb, Houdini's diver's suit, and a hand-held video game system.
   (For more details see ENC Record)
   
   
   
3. Methods of motion: an introduction to mechanics. Book 1.
   Date: 1998 Grade(s): 6 - 10 Cost: $21.95 ENC#: 014468
   Activities illustrating concepts of motion; the interaction of force, mass, and acceleration; and friction. Includes worksheets. background information, objectives, explanations of what is happening, and suggestions for further study.
   (For more details see ENC Record)
   
   
   

Search Strategies

Find more materials by searching Curriculum Resources on ENC Online using these terms: African Americans, Friction, or Inventors.

Connections to Standards

Realizing that there are many ways to use this Classroom Calendar entry, we chose these standards because they relate to the entry, in full or in part. If you want to explore the standards further, please use the link(s) provided.

Connections to NSES
Content Standard E: Science and Technology: Understanding about science and technology (5-8)
Content Standard E: Science and Technology: Understanding about science and technology (9-12)
Content Standard F: Science in Personal and Social Perspectives: Science and technology in society (5-8)
Content Standard G: History and Nature of Science: Science as a human endeavor (K-4)
Content Standard G: History and Nature of Science: Science as a human endeavor (5-8)
Content Standard G: History and Nature of Science: Historical perspectives (9-12)