10 of the most famous engineers that have made significant impacts on the world
What comes to your mind when you see magnificent structures? Whatever your thoughts are, you can agree that the engineers that made them are exceptional. Throughout history, the world has produced some great names in the engineering field. But who are the most famous engineers among them all?
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Famous engineers include names of inventors or innovators whose products have impacted humanity in one way or another. These creators are some of the best in the field and have become renowned for their groundbreaking inventions.
Famous engineers in history
Famous engineers are known for impacting the globe with their ideas through innovations and breakthrough technology. These remarkable brains are one-of-a-kind, and their accomplishments have placed them among the best. But who are these famous engineers in history?
1. Alexander Graham Bell
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Alexander Graham Bell was a Scottish-born scientist, engineer and inventor. He is renowned for inventing the first telephone and patenting it in 1876. Bell's inventions focused on elocution and speech because his wife and mother were deaf.
His other inventions include the wireless phone, the photophone and the metal detector. Due to his creations, Bell received various accolades, including the NAS Member (1883), Albert Medal (1902), John Fritz Medal (1907) and the Elliott Cresson Medal (1912).
2. James Watt
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James Watt is among the top famous mechanical engineers and has the SI unit of power, the Watt, named after him. James was born in Greenock, Renfrewshire, Scotland, in 1736 and is renowned for improving the steam engine.
His watt steam engine in 1776 was instrumental in the changes brought by the Industrial Revolution in both his native Great Britain and the rest of the world.
James Watt's steam engine improvement led to other milestones, such as the development of the concept of horsepower. His other inventions include the copying machine, which he developed the process to in 1779.
3. Elon Musk
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Who is the world's most famous engineer? South African-born American engineer, inventor, entrepreneur and philanthropist Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Inc., is. Elon is renowned for his revolutionary inventions like the electric car, which have changed the world by reducing gas emissions. Elon Musk's other notable innovations include SpaceX, Hyperloop, and SolarCity.
4. George Stephenson
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George Stephenson, also referred to as the father of the railway, is among the world's most famous civil engineers. George is a British engineer from the 19th century whose creation, the rail gauge, became the basis of the standard gauge used in almost all railways worldwide.
Stephenson's inventions include the safety lamp, the railway, the improved steam engine, and the first passenger locomotive. George Stephenson was born on 9 June 1781 in Wylam, Northumberland, England and died aged 67 on 12 August 1848 in Tapton House, Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England.
5. Henry Ford
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Henry Ford was a mechanic, industrialist and business magnate from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His name is synonymous with the American automobile industry due to his car company, the Ford Motor Company, which he founded in 1903. Henry began his career as an engineer at the Edison Illuminating Company of Detroit.
Among Ford's inventions are the assembly plant and production lines, which he used to assemble vehicles quickly. His cars were affordable and revolutionised the automobile industry.
6. Leonardo Da Vinci
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Leonardo Da Vinci is arguably the world's best engineer due to his innovative ideas that were ahead of his time. He had an unending curiosity and creativity, which led to the design of mechanical devices like the modern-day helicopter and flying machines. Leonardo Da Vinci's plans and blueprints cover manufacturing, transportation and war.
7. Nikola Tesla
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Nikola Tesla was a Serbian-American inventor, electrical and mechanical engineer, and futurist. He is best known for his contributions to the design of the modern alternating current (AC) electricity supply system.
Nikola Tesla is renowned for his inventions, including the electric oscillators, meters, improved lights and the high-voltage transformer known as the Tesla coil.
8. Nikolaus Otto
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Nicolaus August Otto was a German engineer who developed the compressed charge internal combustion engine, which ran on petroleum gas. His invention, the four-stroke, Otto-cycle engine, was revolutionary and led to the modern internal combustion engine.
A four-stroke engine is an internal combustion engine where the piston completes four separate strokes while turning the crankshaft.
9. Thomas Edison
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Thomas Edison was one of the first engineers who applied the principles of organised science and teamwork in the invention process. He was renowned for working with researchers and employees and established the first industrial research laboratory.
Some of Thomas Edison's inventions include the incandescent light bulb, the gramophone, the movie camera and viewer, and the alkaline storage battery.
10. Wright brothers
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Wilner and Orville Wright, also known as the Wright brothers, invented the world's first successful motor-operated aeroplane. Their invention, the Wright Flyer, in 1903, was a success of four years of research and development.
The brothers gained mechanical skills by working for years in their Dayton, Ohio-based shop with printing presses, bicycles, motors, and other machinery.
According to American Inventors, the Wright brothers obtained a patent in 1906, started the Wright Company, and began building and selling more sophisticated aeroplanes.
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Famous black engineers
Throughout history, black people in countries like America and some African nations have endured a lot of oppression to succeed in various fields. However, black innovators have emerged with changing times, providing breakthrough discoveries.
Here are some famous black engineers you need to know.
- April Ericsson – The first woman to receive a PhD in mechanical engineering from Howard University and the first African American woman to receive a PhD in engineering from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.
- Guion Bluford Jr – The first Black man to travel to space in 1983.
- Jerry Lawson – A self-taught engineer who became the first prominent Black video game creator and designer.
- Lewis Latimer – Created an improvement to Thomas Edison's light bulb, which burned out too quickly.
- Mae Jemison – Aerospace engineer and physicist who became the first Black woman to travel to space in 1992.
- Mary Jackson – NASA's first Black female engineer.
- Ursula Burns – Burns is among the top engineers who became famous in the financial world and the first Black woman CEO to lead a Fortune 500 company.
- William Fauntroy – DC Metro's first Black engineer.
Who is the most famous female engineer?
According to the National Inventors Hall of Fame, Edith Clarke is among the most well-known female engineers ever. She was born on 10 February 1883 and died on 29 October 1959. One of Edith Clarke's inventions includes the graphical calculator. In addition, Edith Clarke was the first female professor of electrical engineering in the USA.
Famous engineers include some popular names from the current and past generations. The extensive list includes well-known inventors like Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison and Elon Musk. Their accomplishments have made them stand out and cement their names in the world of engineering.
Are you interested in information about the top influential and famous women in technology? Yen.com.gh published an in-depth article about some of the most prominent female names in science and technology.
If you thought that only men dominated technological fields, you'd be surprised once you learn of the accomplishments of these ladies. Who are they?
Source: YEN.com.gh
