IRONING BOARDS

Did you know that even small ideas can be very valuable? Some inventions are huge machines, like engines, and some are as simple as a folding ironing board. But when all these ideas come together, we get our amazing world with all its technology.

His parents had escaped from slavery in Kentucky to Canada. They eventually moved back to the USA, and McCoy grew up in the state of Michigan. In the 1870s, he began working as an inventor. He became famous for his many important inventions.

One of McCoy’s most famous inventions was important for engines. Engines need oil to run smoothly. His invention helped all machines, but it especially helped trains. Before his invention, trains would often stop for workers to oil the engine, wasting a lot of time. McCoy invented a machine that attached to an engine and oiled it. By 1899, almost all trains were using his invention, which was called an automatic lubricator. automatic lubricator - a machine that attaches to an engine and oils it iron - a small device that uses heat to take wrinkles out of clothing improved - made better convenient - easy

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Another one of McCoy’s inventions was used in almost every home for 100 years. One day, Elijah’s wife told him how hard it was to iron clothing so that it came out smooth. An iron is a small device that uses heat to take wrinkles out of clothing. Elijah thought of an invention to solve her problem. He invented a small table that could fold and was easy to store and patented it on May 12, 1874. Many people bought his ironing board, which made ironing clothes a lot easier.

People liked McCoy’s folding ironing board, but soon another inventor, Sarah Boone, improved it. Improving something means making it better. She shaped the table to make it easier to iron sleeves and other hard-toreach parts of clothing.

In the 1950s, Ruth Benerito invented a fabric that did not wrinkle. She mixed a chemical called resin with cotton to make the fabric smooth. This new fabric became very popular in clothing and linens. Over time, scientists improved wrinkle-free fabrics, making life more convenient, or easy, for people.

McCoy and Benrito also created many other inventions that continue to help us today, whether they are big machines or small everyday items.