Born in Canada to enslaved people that had fled Kentucky, Elijah McCoy patented a number of inventions, including this ironing table.
Though trained as a mechanical engineer, discrimination at the Michigan Central Railroad at the time excluded Elijah from a engineer position, so instead he was hired as a fireman working in the boiler room of a locomotive. His training, however, led him to devise a method of using steam pressure to pump lubricating oil to the steam engine. Prior to its invention, trains would have to come to a complete stop for the engine to be lubricated to prevent overheating.
Though quickly copied by competitors, the quality of his Elijah’s invention was reknowned. It has been said that railroad engineers began asking for the “real McCoy” instead of a lesser brand.
