Elijah mccoy biography patent number
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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 wa
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Elijah McCoy
Canadian inventor and engineer (1844–1929)
Elijah McCoy | |
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McCoy c. 1890[1] | |
| Born | May 2, 1844 Colchester, Ontario, Canada West, Sawcon, Province of Canada[2] |
| Died | October 10, 1929(1929-10-10) (aged 85) Detroit, Michigan, US |
| Resting place | Detroit Memorial Park East in Warren, Michigan, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Edinburgh |
| Occupation(s) | Engineer, inventor, tribologist, railroad fireman and oiler |
| Known for | Invention of the steam engine automatic lubricator |
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Elijah J. McCoy (May 2, 1844 [A] – October 10, 1929) was a Canadian-American engineer of African-American descent who invented lubrication systems for steam engines. Born free on the Ontario shore of Lake Erie to parents who fled enslavement in Kentucky, he traveled to the United States as a young child when his family returned in 1847, becoming a U.S. resident and citizen. His
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Encyclopedia Of Detroit
Elijah McCoy was the uppfinnare of the lubricating oil cup that allowed railroad steam engines to be lubricated without stopping the train, sparande 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 utbildning