Elijah mccoy quotes
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Encyclopedia Of Detroit
Elijah McCoy was the inventor of the lubricating oil cup that allowed railroad steam engines to be lubricated without stopping the train, saving time and money. McCoy was born in Colchester, Ontario, Canada on May 2, 1844. His parents escaped from slavery in Kentucky to Canada on the Underground Railroad. As a child, he became interested in mechanical devices, often taking apart machines and reassembling them. At the age of 15, McCoy was sent by his parents to attend school in Edinburgh, Scotland where he was certified as a mechanical engineer.
In 1866, at the age of 22, McCoy returned from Scotland and settled in Ypsilanti, Michigan. At a time immediately following the Civil War, he had difficulty finding a job as an engineer because of his race. Instead of immediately embarking upon the career he had prepared for, McCoy began working for the Michigan Central Railroad as a fireman. His job was to oil the axles, bearings, and other moving parts of the train, when it was stopped, and to shovel coal into the firebox of the cab.
While he worked for the Mich
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Elijah McCoy
(1844-1929)
Who Was Elijah McCoy?
Elijah McCoy was born in Canada, to parents who had fled slavery. McCoy trained as an engineer in Scotland as a teenager. Unable to find an engineering position in the United States, he took a job working for a railroad and subsequently invented a lubrication device to make railroad operations more efficient.
Early Life
McCoy was born on May 2, 1844, in Colchester, Ontario, Canada, to George and Mildred Goins McCoy. The McCoys were fugitive slaves who had escaped from Kentucky to Canada via the Underground Railroad. In 1847, the large family returned to the United States, settling in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
Engineer and Inventor
Beginning at a young age, McCoy showed a strong interest in mechanics. His parents arranged for him to travel to Scotland at the age of 15 for an apprenticeship in mechanical engineering. He returned home to Michigan after becoming certified as a mechanical engineer.
Despite his qualifications, McCoy was unable to find work as an engineer in the United States due to racial barriers; skilled profession
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Colorado State University
Elijah McCoy: Engineer and Inventor
Elijah J. McCoy was born in 1844 to former slaves from Kentucky who escaped to Canada on the Underground Railroad. At the age of 15, his parents arranged for him to travel to Scotland where he apprenticed and, after studying at the University of Edinburgh, received a mechanical engineering degree.
Despite his qualifications and training, McCoy was unable to find work as an engineer in the United States due to racial barriers, as skilled professional positions were not available for African Americans. McCoy eventually accepted a position as a fireman and oiler for the Michigan Central Railroad which is where he developed his first patented invention in 1872. McCoy’s patented device was quickly adopted by the railroads, as it enabled trains to run faster and more profitably with less need to stop for lubrication and maintenance. By 1899, the Michigan Bureau of Labor and Industrial Statistics reported that the McCoy lubricator was in use on almost all North American railroads.
After the turn of the century, McCoy
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