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Elijah McCoy Facts & Worksheets

Elijah McCoy was a Canadian inventor who developed an automatic lubricator that spread oil evenly over the engines of trains in motion.

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Elijah McCoy was a Canadian inventor who developed an automatic lubricator that spread oil evenly over the engines of trains in motion. This allowed trains to run faster, more efficiently, and for longer periods of time without stopping. He also secured several other patents in his lifetime as a result of his work.

See the fact file below for more information on the Elijah McCoy or alternatively, you can download our 21-page Elijah McCoy worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

EARLY LIFE

  • Elijah McCoy was born in Colchester, Canada, on May 2, 1844.
  • Both of his parents, George and Mildred, were fugitive slaves who had escaped from Kentucky to Canada with the assistance of helpers through the Underground Railroad.
  • Although both of his parents had been slaves, Elijah was born a free man.
  • When McCoy was three, his family moved back to the United States and settled in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
  • From a young age, McCoy showed an interest in mechanics.
  • He was educated in black schools of Colchester Township as a result of the 1850 Common Schools Act, which segregated the schools in Upper Canada.
  • Around age 15, McCoy’s parents arranged for him to travel to Scotland for an apprenticeship in mechanical engineering, He remained there for five years and returned to Canada as a certified mechanical engineer.

CAREER AS AN ENGINEER AND INVENTOR

  • Upon returning to Canada, McCoy found it difficult to obtain work due to racial barriers, so he moved back to Michigan and instead took up work as a fireman and oiler for the Michigan Central Railroad.
  • While he was there, he did more highly skilled work, such as developing improvements and inventions.
  • As he worked, he noticed that there were many inefficiencies in the existing system of oiling axles.
  • After careful studying and reflection, he came up with the idea of an automatic lubricator cup that would distribute oil evenly over the moving parts of an engine.
  • His patent, called an “Improvement in Lubricators for Steam-Engines”, was awarded patented status in 1872.
  • His invention allowed trains to run continuously for long periods of time without needing to stop every so often for maintenance and re-oiling.
  • After this first invention, McCoy got a taste for tinkering and inventing more useful items, so he continued to refine his devices, as well as design new ones. 50 of his nearly 60 patents dealt specifically with lubricating systems.
  • In addition, McCoy also developed designs for a folding ironing board, a lawn sprinkler, and other machines.
  • Although his achievements were not accompanied by his name on the products he invented, he did attract notice among his black contemporaries at the turn of the century.
  • Story of the Negro (written by Booker T. Washington in 1909) recognized McCoy’s creativity and the fact that he had produced more patents than any other black inventor up until that time.
  • Lubricators with the name “McCoy” were not manufactured until 1920, near the end of his career. Around this time, he formed the Elijah McCoy Manufacturing Company to produce his works.

PERSONAL LIFE AND LATER YEARS

  • Elijah McCoy married Ann Elizabeth Smith in 1868, but she died unfortunately only four years later.  McCoy remarried in 1873 to Mary Eleanor Delaney, who helped him to found the Phillis Wheatley Home for Aged Colored Men in 1898.
  • McCoy’s most elaborate invention came at the age of 72, when he created the graphite lubricator, which was designed for “superheater” locomotive engines. This was patented in 1915.
  • The immense heat that was generated by new locomotive engines called for a more viscous lubricant, which McCoy discovered could be developed by mixing graphite and oil.
  • As a result of this invention, which McCoy himself considered to be his greatest invention, there were drastic reductions in the quantity of coal and oil used in train travel.
  • Elijah McCoy, suffering injuries from a car accident that killed his wife, Mary, years earlier, died in Michigan on October 10, 1929, at the age of 85.

ELIJAH MCCOY’S LEGACY

  • In 1974, the state of Michigan put a historical marker at the former home of the McCoys on Lincoln Avenue, as well as one at his gravesite.
  • In September 2001, McCoy was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in Akron, Ohio.
  • Although unclear, the phrase, “the real McCoy” (meaning “the real thing”), appears to have been associated with Elijah McCoy’s oil-drip cup Invention. There are several theories as to where and when exactly this phrase began being used.

Elijah McCoy Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Elijah McCoy across 21 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Elijah McCoy worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Elijah McCoy who was a Canadian inventor who developed an automatic lubricator that spread oil evenly over the engines of trains in motion. This allowed trains to run faster, more efficiently, and for longer periods of time without stopping. He also secured several other patents in his lifetime as a result of his work.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Elijah McCoy Facts
  • Unscrambling Activity
  • Looking at Trains
  • Major Accomplishments
  • Elijah McCoy Wordsearch
  • “The Real McCoy”
  • Interview with Elijah
  • Design Your Own Invention
  • Elijah McCoy Crossword
  • Opinion Piece
  • Remembering Elijah

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Use With Any Curriculum

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