Rudolf Diesel

Rudolf Diesel (March 18, 1858 - September 30, 1913) is the inventor of the Diesel engine and is of German nationality. He was born in Paris and died on the English Channel.

Rudolf Diesel developed the idea of the compression ignition engine during the last decade of the 19th century, receiving a patent for the device on February 23, 1893 and building a functional prototype in early 1897 while working at the MAN plant at Augsburg. This 'Diesel engine' was named after him. Originally it was known as the "oil engine".

Between 1911 and 1912 he stated “The diesel engine can be fed with vegetable oils and would help considerably in the development of agriculture of the countries which use it” and predicted that “The use of vegetable oils for engine fuels may seem insignificant today. But such oils may become in course of time as important as petroleum and the coal tar products of the present time”.

Diesel died in September 1913 in mysterious circumstances: He disappeared on a cross-channel ferry. On the 29th of September 1913 he shipped on the "SS Dresden" for a short trip to the Rover factories in England. Rover was interested in the Diesel engine and had arranged a meeting. However Rudolf Diesel never showed up and Mr. Noble who was ordered to pick up Dr. Diesel in his 12 hp Rover waited and waited. The body of Rudolf Diesel was found a couple of days later by a coast guard boat. As it was usual at that time, the seamen only took his pasport and other papers and threw the body back into the sea. Because Diesel decided to allow anyone to purchase a license for his engine patents, which included France, Britain and other nations Imperial Germany was at odds with, it is suspected that he was murdered by German agents in order to prevent him from disclosing the details of his inventions to their adversaries in the upcoming war.

See also: Diesel (disambiguation)