Where did the term “the real McCoy” originate? Elijah McCoy was an African-American engineer who developed a device that made it possible to automatically oil machinery used in manufacturing. He’s the man behind the phrase.

Next time you host overnight guests, you can thank an African-American engineer for enabling you to stay in your own comfy bed. In 1885, Sarah E. Goode was the first African-American woman to be granted a patent by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. She invented what we know today as the “hideway bed.”

From developing the Space Shuttle to inventing the SuperSoaker® water toy, today’s African-American engineers are enhancing and enriching the world in which we live.