A mysterious disappearance occurred on the dark night of 29 September 1913. A scientist named Rudolph Diesel boarded a steamer in Antwerp bound for London in preparation for an important technological meeting.
His prolific scientific and engineering career preceded him; Diesel worked tirelessly from Munich and across Europe in order to discover new ways of operating a steam engine, and to find more efficient power sources. The key issues in the research surrounded fuel injection. Yet his tireless work ethic paid off; by 1892, Diesel patented an internal combustion engine, and a rational engine that replaced the steam engine. Critics had disagreed on the feasibility of such a machine, but Diesel enlisted the help Machinenfabrik Augsburg to give him technical help. The results silenced the critics.
Yet the price of fame proved steep, and Diesel wavered under immense external pressures. After release from a sanatorium, he took time off from his work.
After 10pm that dark night in September, the visionary was never seen alive again. Today marks the birthday of the man whose influence continues, as Diesel’s design ideas provide transportation for millions today.
Image: Diesels first experimental engine 1893 by Imotorhead64. CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
