9781422283257

Chapter 1

Elijah McCoy

Engineer and Inventor Born: Colchester, Ontario, Canada, c. 1843 or 1844 Died: October 10, 1929, Detroit, MI Nationality: American, Canadian Achievements: 57 U.S. patents, most to do with lubrication of steam engines

W

hen a person refers to something as “the real McCoy,” he or she is implying that the item is a genu- ine, high-quality piece of goods.

Language experts disagree about the origins of the phrase, with some asserting that it is derived from an advertising slogan used by the Edinburgh-based MacKay whiskey dis- tillery in the 1870s and others positing that American sportswriters first used it when discussing welterweight champion Norman Selby, who boxed under the name “Kid Mc- Coy.” (There is even another alcohol-related theory, which holds that the phrase stems from a Prohibition-era smuggler named Bill McCoy, who was known for procuring only the finest illegal liquor.) Despite those admittedly colorful tales, the most widely accepted explanation is that the “real McCoy” was first used to refer to

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