If you’ve ever wondered about the origins of the term “the Real McCoy” then you are not alone. I’ve often asked people who is McCoy and how long have people being using this phrase? I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the phrase is in reference a famous African American inventor named Elijah McCoy. Mr. McCoy was born in Canada where his parents, former slaves in Kentucky; escaped to via the Underground Railroad. Mr. McCoy’s innate mechanical ability manifested itself throughout his child. Realizing their son’s potential, Mr. McCoy’s parents saved up enough money to send their soon to school in Scotland to study mechanical engineering.
Upon finishing his studies and earning a degree in engineering/mechanics Mr. McCoy returned to the United States settling in Michigan. The situation for African Americans in the US had changed since the days of his parents in part due to the emancipation proclamation, however; Mr. McCoy still found it increasingly difficult to get a job commensurate with his education. Instead of becoming an engineer, hiring managers at Michigan Central Railroad felt a “negro” was better suited to be a train oilman. As a train oilman his job was to lubricate the parts necessary to keep a steam engine going. The problem being that the hot pressured steam was corrosive to the metal parts and needed to be constantly lubricated. Mr. McCoy saw this as an opportunity and in 1872 patented his 1st device, a self-regulating lubricator that made use of the steam pressure in the cylinders to control the valve. A decade later Mr. McCoy’s device was wildly successful and as cheaper knock-offs begin to hit the market people who wanted quality would ask whether or not the lubrication system was in fact the “Real McCoy”. Unfortunately, steam engines were replaced by newer technologies which have overshadowed Mr. McCoy’s contributions, however; the tagline “Real McCoy” endures.
Source: http://www.usi.edu/science/engineering/MISC/emccoy/emccoy.htm
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