Name _____________________________ Class _________________ Date __________________
The Second Industrial Revolution
Biography
Elijah McCoy
1843–1929
WHY HE MADE HISTORY Elijah McCoy
State Archives of Michigan
was an inventor who came up with a new
way to lubricate machinery. He helped
railroads and factories save time and
money.
As you read the biography below, look for
examples of McCoy’s brilliant mind. How did
his inventions change life for Americans in the
1800s?
Inventors in the late 1800s were obsessed with the idea of progress. Cars,
airplanes, telephones, the light bulb—the Age of Invention revolutionized
the ways Americans lived, worked, and traveled. The inventions of Elijah
McCoy helped trains and factories run more efficiently.
Elijah McCoy’s parents traveled the Underground Railroad. They fled
slavery in Kentucky, finally settling in Canada. Their son Elijah was born
into freedom in 1843.
From an early age, Elijah McCoy showed an interest in how things
worked. His parents encouraged his interests and saved money for their
son’s education. When McCoy was 16, his parents sent him to Scotland to
study engineering. He stayed in Scotland for five years, serving as an
apprentice to a mechanical engineer.
McCoy returned home to his family in Ypsilanti, Michigan. McCoy
could not find work there in his chosen field, so he took a job on the
Michigan Central Railroad. As part of his job, he cared for the engines and
other metal parts of the trains. McCoy had to lubricate or oil the metal
surfaces so they would not burn up as metal rubbed against metal. When
parts of the engines, brakes, and wheels were lubricated, the train was shut
down and the oiling was done by hand.
McCoy began to look for a more efficient way to oil the parts. He
invented an oil cup that would drip oil onto the moving parts automatically,
as they were running. Trains did not have to be pulled out of service for
oiling. The railroad saved time. And, because well-oiled machines were
more efficient, the trains used less fuel. The same technology could be
applied to the machines used in manufacturing.
McCoy patented his invention. However, soon illegal copies were
everywhere. The phrase “the real McCoy” refers to something that is the
genuine article, not a copy. Some historians believe that the phrase can be
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11
The Second Industrial Revolution
Name _____________________________ Class _________________ Date __________________
Biography
The Second Industrial Revolution
traced back to Elijah McCoy. They say that, because there were so many
bad imitations of McCoy’s invention, factory owners wanted to be sure
they were buying the real thing. As the part was being installed, owners
would ask, “Is that the real McCoy?”
McCoy did not become wealthy. He did sell manufacturers the rights to
make the lubricating device and other patented inventions, but it is thought
that he spent the money he earned on developing other inventions. During
his lifetime he applied for patents on at least 50 inventions, ranging from
lubricating devices to household items like lawn sprinklers and ironing
boards.
McCoy had never been a very social or talkative man, and he became
even less so as he grew older. He grieved deeply over the death of his
second wife. He suffered poor mental and physical health. McCoy lost his
mental abilities and died in a hospital in 1929.
WHAT DID YOU LEARN?
1. Describe What problem did McCoy set out to solve for the railroad?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
2. Evaluate What were the benefits of McCoy’s invention for the railroad and for
manufacturing?
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ACTIVITY
Elijah McCoy applied for patents on at least 50 inventions. Read more
about McCoy’s life, and select one of his inventions. Write a paragraph
describing the invention.
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12
The Second Industrial Revolution