Google Is Celebrating The Birthday Of Elijah McCoy, A Black Canadian American Engineer And Inventor. The Graffiti Is To Commemorate McCoy, Who Improved The Efficiency Of Trains With His Locomotive And Railway Related Inventions, And Invented More Than 57 Invention Patents In His Life. His Most Famous Invention Is A Cup, Which Supplies Lubricating Oil To Bearings Through A Small Hole Tube.
The Steam Engine Train In The Graffiti On Google's Home Page Surrounds The Portrait Of The Engineer. McCoy Has 57 Patents In His Life And Was Selected Into The National Inventor Hall Of Fame In Akron, Ohio In 2001.
Elijah J. McCoy Was Born On The Shore Of Ontario, Lake Erie, Canada. His Parents Were Slaves And Fugitives From Kentucky. When His Family Returned To The United States In 1847, He Came To The United States With His Parents When They Were Young, And Then Became An American Resident And Citizen. Their Family Settled In Detroit, Michigan. McCoy Has 11 Brothers And Sisters.
At The Age Of 15, Elijah McCoy Apprenticed In Mechanical Engineering In Edinburgh, Scotland, Before Returning To The University Of Michigan To Pursue His Professional Degree.
He Found That Firefighters On The Train Were Responsible For Refueling The Steam Engine, Which Lubricated The Moving Parts Of The Engine And The Shafts And Bearings Of The Train. Due To His Long-term Work In Mechanical Position, He Can Identify And Solve The Problems Of Engine Lubrication And Overheating. At That Time, The Train Needs To Stop Regularly And Be Lubricated To Prevent Overheating. Elijah McCoy Has Developed A Lubricator For Steam Engine, Which Can Realize Continuous Lubrication Without Stopping The Train, Because This Specially Designed Lubricator Can Use Steam Pressure To Pump The Lubricating Oil Pump To The Required Place.
On July 12, 1872, Elijah McCoy Obtained The First Patent - U.S. Patent No. 129843 For Its Improvement In Steam Engine Lubricator. McCoy Continued To Improve His Design And Invented More Improvements. Railway And Shipping Lines Began To Use McCoy's New Lubricator, And Michigan Central Railway Recommended Him To Instructors Using His New Invention. Later, Elijah McCoy Became A Consultant On Patent Affairs In The Railway Industry.
In 1920, McCoy Opened His Own Company, Elijah McCoy Manufacturing Company. Unfortunately, McCoy Suffered Multiple Economic, Mental And Physical Blows In His Later Years. McCoy Died On October 10, 1929, After Spending A Year At Eloise Hospital In Michigan.