In this world, is it the hero who creates the situation, or the situation that creates the hero? I believe that everyone has their own answer. In 1914, an ordinary Serbian youth rewrote the history of the world with a pistol. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many heroes who changed the times were born. Today we're going to talk about a salesman who changed the world. His name may not be known, but his inventions still influence the world today.
Otto
As one of the greatest inventions of the nineteenth century, the internal combustion engine has developed with ups and downs. The father of the internal combustion engine we now recognize is Nicholas. August. Otto. However, he was not the inventor of the internal combustion engine. Back in 1859, the Belgian Adrian. Lenoir invented the world's first internal combustion engine. So, how did Otto improve the internal combustion engine step by step, and eventually become the father of the internal combustion engine that will be respected in later generations?
Adrian. Lenoir
In 1832, Otto was born into an ordinary family in Germany. Otto had just been born when his father died. From an early age, Otto grew up in a life without his father's love. However, this does not seem to have much effect on him. In Germany at that time, the government stipulated that every child who reached primary school age must go to school. If someone doesn't let their children go to school, they have to pay a sky-high fine. Parents of children may also be sent to prison. If it is true that the family cannot attend school for financial reasons, the government may waive all tuition and fees for the student. Therefore, in such an environment, even Otto's family conditions are not very good. However, this still did not delay his education.
In school, Otto's grades were excellent. Not only did he receive extra care from his teachers, but he was also often able to take a scholarship home to subsidize his family. However, the good times did not last long, and Otto dropped out of school for family reasons in middle school. After dropping out of school, Otto went to work at a grocery store in Frankfurt, where he worked as a salesman. Although he did not have the opportunity to continue his studies at university, Otto was flexible and good at learning. He heard that the Belgians had invented the internal combustion engine, which he thought was very fresh, so he studied it himself.
After experiments, Otto found that the internal combustion engines invented by the Belgians before were all powered by coal. If the gas is replaced with water, then the internal combustion engine is much more convenient to use. Moreover, it can also be applied to more areas, and there will not be so many restrictions. However, when Otto rushed to the German scientific research management department with the first generation of works he had researched and wanted to apply for a patent, the other party told Otto: Your idea is very good, but someone has already come up with this design one step ahead of you, so we can't grant you the patent right.
Otto, who touched a nose of ash, was not discouraged. He thought: Since someone has already proposed this idea, then I will build something more advanced than him! Back home, Otto continues to spend his spare time studying the internal combustion engine. The previous Belgian invention of the internal combustion engine was driven by a two-stroke engine. Otto increased the engine to four. In this way, the internal combustion engine is not only more convenient to use, but also doubles the power. However, in 1862, when Otto built the first prototype of his modified internal combustion engine, he found that although the internal combustion engine would theoretically be more powerful than before. But now the internal combustion engine that has changed the internal combustion material cannot achieve normal ignition. After repeated attempts and studies, this ignition problem has not been solved. In desperation, Otto had to put the problem aside first. He turned his head and studied the internal combustion engine powered by gas.
Sure enough, with his clever mind, Otto succeeded in improving the gas-powered technology of the previous internal combustion engine. He invented an atmospheric pressure engine that greatly improved the previous power efficiency. As a result, German industry developed rapidly with the introduction of new technologies. Otto finally stopped working as a salesman in the store, and having received a large prize money, he could now have the time and energy to study his inventions with peace of mind. In 1863, Otto, who received the patent prize, found a man named Eugene. Langen's people. Together, the two started an engine production company. Later, in 1872, they hired an engineer named Daimler to do research together. Now, Otto sells engines while researching engines, truly achieving a perfect combination of scientific research and production.
Subsequently, at the 1867 World Exposition, the two-stroke engine produced by Otto's company attracted much attention and finally won the gold medal awarded by the Exposition. Otto, who won the gold medal of the World Exposition, has since gone farther and farther on the road of sudden prosperity. His engine went out of Germany and sold to other countries in Europe, and even American merchants traveled thousands of miles to Germany to visit Otto, hoping to obtain the agency rights of Otto's engine throughout North America.
If they are ordinary researchers, after relying on their own inventions and technologies to make a lot of money, they can probably lie down and collect money and retire early. However, Otto is different, and he is not all engaged in scientific research for money. As a researcher with lofty scientific ideals. Otto never forgot the four-stroke engine he had envisioned. At that time, due to the limitations of funds and technology, etc., his idea was forced to be shelved for a long time. Now that I have money, I have research and production conditions. It's time to try a few more times for that original invention in mind.
One night in May 1876, although it was already late, the windows of Otto's house still revealed a few traces of fire. Suddenly, there was a muffled "bang" in the room. Otto shouted happily: "Success! I finally succeeded! This will be the world's first four-stroke internal combustion engine! At this time, Otto was not at all as majestic and mysterious as when facing his business partners, but like a child who was encouraged by his teacher. Because, in Otto's mind, the purpose of scientific research has always been very simple. Instead of using the results of scientific research to make money, he enjoys the sense of achievement and happiness brought to him by scientific research itself.
After more than ten years of research and experimentation, Otto finally succeeded. He first told the news to his good friend and partner Eugene. Without further ado, since you have an invention patent now, go to the patent administration department and apply for it!
After the vigorous publicity of newspapers and other media, Otto's research on four stroke engines immediately caused an "earthquake" in the global industrial community. The Otto four-stroke engine, which was confirmed by the patent office, was immediately snapped up. Orders for the new engine pre-sale were once queued up half a year later.
Daimler, who had worked together for nearly a decade in 1882, left Otto's company, and Daimler relied on his talents and abilities to go it alone. I have made a lot of achievements. He became a rich man.
Dalem
In 1885, Otto, who had played with flowers in scientific research, had another amazing invention: he installed the internal combustion engine on a bicycle. Bicycles that used to rely on human power to run were instantly turned into fully autonomous cars. The world's first motorcycle was born. Subsequently, a man named Carl changed the two-wheeled bicycle to a tricycle. The world's first three-wheeled car was also born. Then, Daimler, an engineer who had run from Otto's company, built the first four-wheeled car. On the streets of that era, whether motorcycles or cars, they used four-stroke engines invented by Otto.
There is a saying in China: People are afraid of being famous and pigs are afraid of being strong. Otto became the father of the German internal combustion engine and the king of the engine, and he naturally caused a lot of right and wrong and trouble. In 1886, Otto was accused of plagiarizing someone else's invention. As soon as this news broke, everyone was very curious. Here's what it turned out: A Frenchman named Rorschach was said to have designed a four-stroke engine that was essentially the same as it is now on the market. However, at that time, limited by its own conditions, the Frenchman named Rorschach did not make this invention public, let alone directly put it on the market. Therefore, by the time Otto invented the four engines in 1876, his behavior was already "plagiarism". However, this person's statement is only one-sided after all, although the German patent office finally overturned Otto's invention patent based on insurance considerations. However, one did not see the so-called French inventor Rocha come up with any real engine invention. Therefore, in everyone's heart, Otto is still the well-deserved great inventor.
In Otto's later years, he continued to work on improving the powertrain of the internal combustion engine. His life has become one with science, and without it, his life will become meaningless. Although his company lost some of its patents, he still had many patents. He still made a lot of money from these patents and the various products produced from them.
Otto died in 1891 at the age of 59, in the midst of the infinite satisfaction of the spiritual world and the extreme wealth of the material world. Although his life was short, he also experienced a life of hardship and poverty in his early years. However, this still can't hide his shining spirit of scientific exploration. Later, the Americans selected "100 Outstanding People Who Influenced the Course of Human History" and Otto ranked 64th.
In 1859, the birth of the internal combustion engine undoubtedly rewrote the history of mankind. Subsequently, Otto's transformation and innovation of the internal combustion engine not only increased the power of the internal combustion engine itself, but also accelerated the development process of the entire human history. Although, he was not the first to invent the internal combustion engine, which could not directly produce a specific product for people to use. However, throughout the twentieth century, the shadow of the internal combustion engine can be glimpsed in the production process of many industrial products. As the father of the internal combustion engine, Otto's exploits will surely stand in the annals of history and be remembered by future generations.
Resources:
"The Development and Improvement of Internal Combustion Engine Theory" Zhang Guoqiang
Knowledge of Otto and the Invention of the Internal Combustion Engine is power
From Salesman to Inventor - Otto, Inventor of the Internal Combustion Engine
"The Invention of Otto and His Engine" Internal Combustion Engine
Ross Auguste Otto - Wikipedia
Second Industrial Revolution - Wikipedia
Internal combustion engine - Wikipedia