The problem
Steam engines had to be shut down so someone could hand-oil their bearings and cylinders.
The innovation
A cup that fed oil steadily to the engine's moving parts using the engine's own steam pressure, while it ran.
How it worked
Steam pressure acts on an oil reservoir, forcing a controlled flow through a drip mechanism into the cylinder.
Why it mattered
Trains and factory engines ran longer between stops; freight economics changed.
The legacy
Automatic lubrication is now built into essentially every engine. The phrase 'the real McCoy' is popularly linked to his devices, but the etymology is contested and this archive does not present it as established.
You use this today
Every car engine you have ever ridden in lubricates itself while running.
Sources
US Patent 129,843
Follow the invention
Multiple-effect evaporator
A sealed series of vacuum pans in which the vapour boiled off in one pan supplies the heat for the next, at successively lower pressures.
Process for manufacturing carbon filaments
A method of encasing the filament blank in a cardboard envelope during carbonisation so it heats evenly and holds its shape.
Automatic shoe-lasting machine
A machine that held the last, pleated the leather over it, positioned the sole and drove the nails.