Elijah McCoy

Elijah also created designs for ironing boards and lawn sprinklers.

Elijah McCoy accomplished big things during a time when African-Americans were treated unfairly. His discoveries helped trains run better, changing transportation forever!

Born in Canada on May 2, 1844, and died on October 10, 1929.His parents ran away from slavery! They moved back to the U.S. in 1847.Elijah studied mechanical engineering in Scotland when he was only 15 years old.

Elijah McCoy

"The Real McCoy"

His parents escaped slavery using the Underground Railroad.

Other inventors tried to copy McCoy's oil-dripping cup. But none of the other cups worked as well as his, so customers started asking for "the real McCoy." That's where the expression comes from.

He invented an oil-dripping cup that helped trains run longer distances without stopping.