When he returned to the US, no company would hire him because he was Black, despite the fact that he was fully trained. As a railroad fireman, his job was to oil engines manually. He saw this as a waste of time and money so he developed a self lubrication system for machinery. He patented his design and from then on, all good quality machinery used his mechanism. Thus the phrase "The Real McCoy" was coined.
Last Updated: October 26, 1998, NEEDS Staff
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