**Video Description:** In a world driven by machines, automation, and artificial intelligence, few people know that one of the most revolutionary minds behind modern robotics was a Black inventor born in the 1800s. This cinematic deep-dive uncovers the forgotten story of **Elijah McCoy**—the mechanical genius whose inventions created the foundation for autonomous machines. From the roaring steam engines of the Industrial Age to the intelligent robots of today, McCoy’s pioneering work in self-regulating systems gave rise to the very idea of mechanical intelligence. Discover how a young man born to formerly enslaved parents defied racial barriers, studied engineering in Scotland, and returned to invent a device that would forever change how machines function. His **automatic lubricating cup** wasn’t just a tool—it was the first real step toward automation, the blueprint for robotics as we know it. This is the story of how one man’s brilliance shaped the modern world but was nearly erased from history. Watch as we uncover the untold legacy of **the real McCoy**, the Black engineer who taught machines how to think for themselves. --- **References:** Banneker, B. (1989). *The Real McCoy: The Life and Inventions of Elijah McCoy.* Chicago: Johnson Publishing Company. Hynes, T. (2003). *Inventing the Real McCoy: African American Innovators and the Birth of Modern Engineering.* Detroit Historical Press. U.S. Patent Office Archives (1872–1916). *Patents Registered by Elijah McCoy.* Washington, D.C. Wiener, N. (1948). *Cybernetics: Or Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine.* MIT Press. Lemann, N. (2000). *The Promised Land: The Great Black Migration and How It Changed America.* New York: Knopf. Smith, P. (2015). *African American Inventors Before the Age of Silicon.* Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Jones, R. (2020). *Mechanical Minds: The Black Engineers Who Built America.* Harvard University Press.

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