Elijah McCoy
Born in Ontario in 1844, McCoy trained as a mechanical engineer which led to his first patent: the automatic lubricating cup for steam engines. He wouldn’t have noticed the need if he hadn’t accepted a humble job shoveling coal and oiling the moving parts on trains. McCoy used his intellect to make a cup that automatically oiled the trains. The trains no longer had to stop every few miles, and he didn’t have to physically lubricate them anymore. He spent most of his life improving this invention and creating many others.
