Engineers Who Changed The World: July 2013

Saturday 13 July 2013

MUHAMMAD IBN ZAKARIYA AL-RAZI

MUHAMMAD IBN ZAKARIYA AL-RAZI

Razi made fundamental and enduring contributions to the fields of medicine, alchemy, music, and philosophy, recorded in over 200 books and articles in various fields of science. He was well-versed in Persian, Greek and Indian medical knowledge and made numerous advances in medicine through own observations and discoveries.

ARSHIMEDES

ARCHIMEDES

Archimedes has many discoveries and inventions to his credit, but he considered his theoretical work as his main triumph. Along with his inventions in mathematics and geometry, he is also known for the weapons he created for King Hiero II to help protect Syracuse. He is credited with many inventions in the field of mathematics and physics such as "Death ray", "Archimedes claw", hydro statics , calculus.

Tuesday 9 July 2013

ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL

1847-1922

Alexander Graham Bell was an eminent scientist, inventor, engineer and innovator who is credited with inventing the first practical telephone. Many other inventions marked Bell's later life, including groundbreaking work in optical telecommunications, hydrofoils and aeronautics.

JOHN LOGIE BAIRD

1888-1946

John Logie Baird was a scottish engineer and inventor of the world's first practical, publicly demonstrated television system, and also the world's first fully electronic colour television tube. Although Baird's electromechanical system was eventually displaced by purely electronic systems, Baird's early successes demonstrating working television broadcasts and his colour and cinema television work earned him a prominent place in television's history.

WERNHER VON BRAUN

1912-1977

Wernher von Braun was a German rocket scientist, aerospace engineer, space architect and one of the leading figures in the development of rocket technology. In his 20's and early 30's, von Braun was the central figure in Germany's rocket development program. According to one NASA source, he was "without doubt, the greatest rocket scientist in history". His crowing achievement was to lead the development of the Saturn V booster rocket that helped land the first men on the Moon in july 1969.

RUDOLF DIESEL

1858-1913

The diesel engine was developed by Rudolf Diesel in 1893. A diesel engine (also known as a compressing-ignition engine) is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compressing to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber. This is in contrast to spark-ignition engines such as petrol engine (gasoline engine) or gas engine (using a gaseous fuel as opposed to gasoline), which uses a spark plug to ignite an air-fuel mixture.

THE WRIGHT BROTHERS

ORVILLE 1871-1948 & WILBUR 1869-1912

Orville and Wilbur were two American credited with inventing and building the world's successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight on December 17, 1903. Although not the first to build and fly an experimental aircraft, the Wright Brothers were the first to invent aircraft controls that made fixed-wing powered flight possible. The brothers fundamental breakthrough was their invention of three-axis control, which enabled the pilot to steer the aircraft effectively and maintain its equilibrium.

ELI WHITNEY

1765-1825

Eli Whitney was the inventor of the cotton gin and a pioneer in the mass production of cotton. In 1793, Whitney designed and constructed the cotton gin, a machine that automated the separation of cottonseed from short-staple cotton fiber. His machine could generate up to fifty pounds of cleaned cotton daily, making production profitable.

GUSTAVE EIFFEL

1832-1923

Alexandre Gustave Eiffel was a French structural engineer from Paris. An architect, an entrepreneur and a specialist of a metallic structures, Eiffel is acclaimed for designing the world-famous Eiffel Tower. The Industrial Revolution palyed a important role in his life - building bridges is how Eiffel gained a reputation as an engineer, which he designed and constructed all over the world. The bridges allowed for easier and faster travel and trade in the geographical area in which they were constructed. Many of Eiffel's bridges did not require skilled workers for assembly, which made his bridges a great economical choice.

NIKOLA TESLA

1856-1943

Nikola Tesla is perhaps the greatest electrical engineer of all time. His inventions include fluorescent lighting, the Tesla coil, the induction motor and 3-phase electricity. He developed the AC-current generation system, which comprised of a motor and a transformer. Some have said that he "invented the 20th century".

Monday 8 July 2013

HENRY BESSEMER

1813-1898

Bessemer was a prolific inventor. During his experiments with steelmaking, he discovered that contact with hot air would trun pig iron into steel. Given the tiltle of 'Father of the Industrial Revolution', Bessemer's process made steel available in industrial quantities at an affordable price.

NIKOLAUS OTTO

1832-1891

Nikolaus Otto's Otto-cycle engine worked is four steps; drawing in fuel and air, compressing the mixture, igniting it and expelling the exhaust. This Otto-cycle is stil used in the internal combustion engines that run all of our cars today.

JAMES WATT

1736-1819

The 'watt' unit of power is named after James Watt. An enthusiastic inventor, Watt's improvement of the steam engine sparked the Industrial Revolution. His engines were used for coal mining, textile manufacturing, transportation and a host of other industrial applications.

THOMAS EDISON

1874-1931

Thomas Alva Edison, American inventor and businessman, developed many devices that influenced life around the world, including the electric bulb. Edison originated the concept and implementation of electric-power generation and distribution to homes, businesses and factories - a crucial development in the modern industrialized world.