Elijah McCoy
The real McCoy was a black Canadian, born to escaped Kentucky slaves in Colchester, Ont. in 1843. Despite having studied engineering in Scotland, on his return to Canada, Elijah McCoy was unable to find any job other than as a railway fireman.
As a mechanic in the 1870s, he noticed that machines had to be stopped every time they needed oil. Mr. McCoy invented a device to oil machinery while it was working, and soon no engine or machine was considered complete until it had a McCoy Lubricator.
In 1872 McCoy was issued a patent for his invention, and within a short time his automatic lubricator—dubbed “the real McCoy” to distinguish it from the horde of less effective imitations that soon flooded the market—had been installed on locomotives around the country. “McCoy’s invention was a small thing,” wrote Aaron E. Klein in The Hidden Contributors: Black Scientists and Inventors in America, “but it speeded up the railroads, and faster railroad deliveries spurred the economic growth of a nation.”
A licensed mechanical engineer who had received his vocational training overseas, McCoy soon discovered that in the 1860s, just after the end of the Civil War, impressive qualifications were not enough to convince an American company to hire a black man for a professional, highly skilled position.
For many years, the only job he could find was that of a fireman on the rapidly expanding railroads. Whatever free time he had, he devoted to inventing and perfecting mechanical devices—particularly those that could help him in his work. His lubricating cup, patented in 1872, was followed by a host of other inventions, including a lubricator for use with air-pump brakes; a graphite lubricator, specially designed to oil the new “super-heater” locomotive; and a steam dome for locomotives.
In the 1880s McCoy was asked to serve as a mechanical consultant for several Detroit-area firms, and in 1920 he established his own business, the Elijah McCoy Manufacturing Company.
Most of his patents—close to 50 in all—were for lubricating systems used in steam engines and factory machinery. In his later years, however, he turned his attention to domestic concerns. Among the household items he designed and patented were a folding ironing table, a lawn sprinkler, durable rubber heels for shoes, and a portable scaffold support.
Oscar Peterson
Oscar Peterson was a Canadian Jazz Pianist and composer. He was called the "Maharajah of the keyboard" by Duke Ellington, "O.P." by his friends. He released over 200 recordings, won seven Grammy awards, and received other numerous awards and honors over the course of his career.
He is considered to have been one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time, having played thousands of live concerts to audiences worldwide in a career lasting more than 60 years.
At the age of five, Peterson began honing his skills on trumpet and piano, but a bout of tuberculosis when he was seven prevented him from playing the trumpet again, so he directed all his attention to the piano.
(My mom grew up with Oscar and went to school with him. She saw how he was treated horribly by his school mates because he was sick and lost so much weight)
His father, Daniel Peterson, an amateur trumpeter and pianist, was one of his first music teachers, and his sister Daisy taught him classical piano. Peterson was persistent at practicing scales and classical etudes.
Peterson was captivated by traditional jazz and boogie-woogie and learned several ragtime pieces. He was called "the Brown Bomber of the Boogie-Woogie".
At the age of nine Peterson played piano with a degree of control that impressed professional musicians.
For many years his piano studies included four to six hours of daily practice. Only in his later years did he decrease his practice to one or two hours daily.
In 1940, at 14yrs old, he won the national music competition organized by the Canadian Broadcasting Company. After that victory, he dropped out of the High School Of Montreal, where he played in a band with Maynard Ferguson. He became a professional pianist, starring in a weekly radio show and playing at hotels and music halls. In his teens he was a member of the Johnny Holmes Orchestra.
From 1945 to 1949 he worked in a trio and recorded for Victor Records. He gravitated toward boogie-woogie and swing with a particular fondness for Nat King Cole and Teddy Wilson. By the time he was in his 20s, he had developed a reputation as a technically brilliant and melodically inventive pianist.
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Dave
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