The next time you want the actual item and not an imitation, be sure to ask for “the Real McCoy,” which is an attribution to this engineer, Elijah McCoy. To improve the efficiency of systems of lubricating moving parts on a steam locomotive, McCoy developed a lubricating cup that automatically and evenly distributed oil over the locomotive’s moving parts while in motion. McCoy’s “Improvement in Lubricators for Steam-Engines” was patented in 1872. While other inventors put forth similar devices, “the real McCoy” was the one the railroaders asked for by name.