Who or What is the real McCoy?
Ever heard the expression, is that the “real McCoy?” No, its not the musical group we are talking about. Real McCoy is actually a reference to one of America’s most prolific inventors, Elijah McCoy. McCoy invented and patented all kinds of mechanical things to help them work smoothly, efficiently and safely. Over time, the expression “real McCoy” has been used for anything that means the real thing, the real solution. Elijah McCoy was born in 1843 at Colchester, in Ontario, Canada to George and Mildred McCoy. His parents had once been slaves at a large manor in Kentucky, America. However, they managed to escape to Canada before the American Civil War began in 1865. Following the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln abolished slavery and the McCoy family returned to settle at Ypsilanti, Michigan. As a child, Elijah was fascinated with all things mechanical. Encouraged by this interest Elijah’s parents saved money and sent him to Edinburgh in Scotland to study mechanical engineering. He
