Elijah McCoy was born in Colchester, Ontario, Canada on May 2, 1844 to
George and Emillia. George and Emillia were former slaves who escaped
to Canada through the Underground Railroad. Elijah would come to the
United States only after the Civil War.
During his 85 years, Elijah McCoy earned over 50 patents and built a
reputation as master quality inventor. While true engineers know him
by his name, the general public knows him mostly through the
expression "the real McCoy."