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

The inventor is honored in the doodle.

Google/Screenshot by NPR

On Monday, you will see a black man next to a stack of patents, gazing at an old-fashioned train.

The revolutionary Black inventor who was born 178 years ago today is called that.

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

At the age of 15, he traveled to Edinburgh, Scotland to study mechanical engineering. According to the Detroit Historical Society, he was unable to find a job as an engineer because of his race.

He went to work as a fireman for the Michigan Central Railroad, where he worked to lubricate engine components.

The National Inventors Hall of Fame said that at that time, engines had to be stopped and lubricated before they could be started again.

An automatic lubricator that kept engines oiled was the big idea that McCoy had.

The invention was patented in 1872.

The hall of fame noted that the innovation was a smash hit and found its way into locomotives, ships, and factory machines. The automatic lubricator created an array of knock-offs.

It is thought that customers who wanted to buy a specific version of the invention began asking for the real thing.