The goal of Spreading Good News is for readers to:
GET INSPIRED and/or GET MOTIVATED and/or GET INFORMED and/or GET AWE-STRUCK and/or GET A BREAK FROM ALL THE NEGATIVE NEWS and to tell readers about our good, short books and our online store.
CLICK THE “BE INSPIRED!” BUTTON (ABOVE) TO VIEW OUR BOOKS AND OUR ONLINE STORE!! In our online store, we have “World Peace” and other great merchandise, as well as “Meaningful Messages,” which are unique greeting cards that address serious issues, including incarceration, terminal illness, and heart-to-heart cards.
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IT’S BETTER TO DIE CHASING A DREAM NEVER CAUGHT THAN TO DIE NEVER HAVING CHASED THE DREAM. ~ Joyce Fields
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DON’T BE DRIVEN BY FEAR. YOU’LL END UP ON THE WRONG ROAD.
~ Joyce Fields
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THE ANTI-BULLYING PLEDGE
It’s FREE and available at http://www.GoodShortBooks.com! A useful and very effective tool against bullying.
Gives kids something to live up to–their own pledge!
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TODAY’S BLOG
We all should know more about the contributions that African-Americans have made in the fields of science and medicine, as well as art, music, the written word, sports, and just-everyday life.
During “Black History Month,” (February) I will continue Spreading Good News about Black History on Monday through Thursday. On Fridays, I will keep posting the very popular “Funny Friday” pieces!
I hope you enjoy this piece of Black History!
BLACK HISTORY MONTH: Elijah McCoy
~ Source: The Internet
Elijah McCoy – Invented the Oil-Dripping Cup for Locomotives and Boats
Elijah McCoy was the son of fugitive slaves from Kentucky who fled to Canada. He was born in Canada in 1843 and was an inventor and engineer.
After studying engineering in Edinburgh, Scotland, and returning home to Canada, he found work as a fireman and oiler at the Michigan Central Railroad. In a home-based machine shop in Ypsilanti, McCoy invented an automatic lubricator for oiling the steam engines of locomotives and boats. For this, he obtained his first patent, “Improvement in Lubricators for Steam-Engines” (U.S. Patent 129,843 ) on July 23rd, 1872. Similar automatic oilers had been patented previously; one is the displacement lubricator which had already attained widespread use and whose technological descendants continued to be widely used into the 20th century.
Lubricators were a boon for railroads, allowing trains to run faster and more profitably with less need to stop for lubrication and maintenance.
Other inventors tried to copy McCoy’s oil-dripping cup. But none of the other cups worked as well as his, so customers started asking for “the real McCoy.”
That’s where the expression “the real McCoy” comes from.
Elijah McCoy died on October 10, 1929.
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NOTE FROM JOYCE: If you enjoyed and/or learned from this blog, please leave a comment and send the link to others. Thanks!!
If you’re interested in reading all about “My Breast Cancer Journey,” those posts start with post #334.
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~ Joyce Fields
ADDITIONAL OFFERINGS FROM JOYCE FIELDS
Joyce is an author who has written seven books. If you enjoy this blog, you will, undoubtedly, enjoy all her books. Her sister, Anita, is also an author.
BE INSPIRED! You can read about and order their books AND order merchandise from their online store at this link (or click the “BE INSPIRED!” button above):
https://lineofserenity.wordpress.com/get-more-inspiration/
Thanks for your interest AND support!!
Contact Joyce at goodshortbooks@yahoo.com.
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SOME OF JOYCE’S FAVORITE BLOGS
I visit these blogs and leave comments regularly. I think you will enjoy them all!
http://www.lenasledgeblog.com Books, reviews, give-aways, interviews.
http://living4bliss.com Believing Life Is Set up for Success (BLISS)
http://goss-coaching.com/author/gosscoaching A professional writer and wellness coach helping people connect thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and action to create optimal health and a vibrant life.
http://www.thebirkineffect.com Musings of a “want it all” 21st century woman.
http://www.thesweetsensations.com A baking, entertainment, and lifestyle blog. Fantastic recipes and food photography, too!
http://www.pennilessparenting.com A rich life on minimum wage. Plus fabulous, healthful recipes!
http://www.rumpydog.com I’m a dog with a unique perspective on human life.
http://www.davidkanigan.com/ Lead.Learn.Live. David Kanigan: Inspiration, Ideas & Information.
http://callingoftheheart.wordpress.com Spirituality, Psychology, and Political.
http://www.petedenton.wordpress.com Writer of short stories, Flash fiction, and some scripts.
It’s pretty cool to know where that saying originated.
Yep, Sandy!! It’s a common saying, and I thought it would be good to know where it came from, as well as some history about Elijah McCoy.