Elijah McCoy was born in Colchester, Ontario Canada on May 2, 1844, the son of former slaves who had fled Kentucky before the American Civil War. Trained in Scotland as a mechanical engineer, Elijah McCoy returned to the United States and settled in Detroit, Michigan. He began experimenting with a cup that would regulate the flow of oil to the moving parts of industrial machines. His first invention was a steam lubricator. engines, US 129,843, issued July 12, 1872. The invention allowed machines to remain in motion to be lubricated; its new lubricating device revolutionized the industrial machinery industry. Elijah McCoy started his own company and was responsible for a total of 57 patents, the term "real McCoy" refers to the lubricating device used for industrial machinery. His contribution to the lubrication device became so popular that people inspecting new equipment would ask if the device contained the real McCoy. This helped popularize the American phrase, meaning the real thing. His other inventions included an ironing board and a lawn sprinkler. Elijah McCoy died on October 10, 1929 after a year at the Eloise Infirmary, Eloise, Michigan, suffering from senile dementia caused by hypertension. He was buried in Detroit, Michigan. Elijah McCoy was born in Colchester, Ontario Canada on May 2, 1844, the son of former slaves who had fled Kentucky before the American Civil War. Trained in Scotland as a mechanical engineer, Elijah McCoy returned to the United States and settled in Detroit, Michigan. He began experimenting with a cup that would regulate the flow of oil to the moving parts of industrial machines. His first invention was a steam lubricator. engines, US 129,843, issued July 12, 1872. The invention allowed machines to remain in motion to be lubricated; its new lubricating device revolutionized the industrial machinery industry. Elijah McCoy started his own company and was responsible for a total of 57 patents, the term "real McCoy" refers to the lubricating device used for industrial machinery..