May 2, 1844 – Elijah McCoy is born in Colchester, Ontario, Canada. Elijah was the son of fugitive slaves, George and Mildred McCoy from Kentucky who were helped by the Underground Railroad. He will become a master inventor and holder of over 50 patents. He will be the inventor of a device that allows machines to be lubricated while they are still in operation. Machinery buyers insisted on McCoy lubrication systems when buying new machines and will take nothing less than what becomes known as the “real McCoy.” The inventor’s automatic oiling devices will become so universal that no heavy-duty machinery will be considered adequate without it, and the expression becomes part of America culture.
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