© 2025 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Google honors the Black inventor who likely inspired the phrase 'the real McCoy'

Google doodle honoring inventor Elijah McCoy.
Google/Screenshot by NPR
Google doodle honoring inventor Elijah McCoy.

Pull up Google on Monday, and you'll see a doodle of a Black man next to a stack of patents, gazing at an old-fashioned train.

That's Elijah McCoy, the revolutionary Black inventor who was born 178 years ago today.

McCoy's parents escaped slavery in Kentucky on the Underground Railroad and settled in Canada, where they gave birth to their son in 1844.

At age 15, McCoy traveled to Edinburgh, Scotland to study mechanical engineering. But when he returned home to his family – now living in Ypsilanti, Mich. – he couldn't find a job as an engineer because of his race, according to the Detroit Historical Society.

Instead, McCoy went to work as a fireman for the Michigan Central Railroad, where part of his job was to lubricate engine components.

At that time, engines had to be stopped and lubricated before they could be restarted, the National Inventors Hall of Fame said, which was an inefficient process.

That's when McCoy had his big idea: an automatic lubricator that kept engines oiled while they were in operation.

McCoy patented his invention in 1872 and continued to improve on the design.

The innovation was a smash hit and found its way into "long distance locomotives, transatlantic ships, and factory machines," the hall of fame noted. But as with most any successful new creation, McCoy's automatic lubricator spawned an array of knock-offs.

It is suspected, though not confirmed, that customers who wanted to buy McCoy's invention specifically – and not an imitation – began asking for "the real McCoy," a phrase that's used today to describe something authentic.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Joe Hernandez
[Copyright 2024 NPR]

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

Related Content