Isaac de Rivaz of Switzerland test drove his road carriage powered by an internal combustion engine
Friday 10th April 1807 Isaac de Rivaz of Switzerland test drove his road carriage powered by an internal combustion engine. The engine has a claim to be the world’s first internal combustion engine and contained some features of modern engines including spark ignition and the use of hydrogen as the fuel. Starting with a stationary…
Isaac de Rivaz was issued with a French patent for his explosion motor, an important ancestor of the modern internal combustion engine
Friday 30th January 1807 Isaac de Rivaz was issued with a French patent for his explosion motor, an important ancestor of the modern internal combustion engine. The de Rivaz engine had no timing mechanism and the introduction of the fuel mixture and ignition were all under manual control. The compressed hydrogen gas fuel was stored…
Pall Mall in London became the first street in Britain to be illuminated by gaslight
Wednesday 28th January 1807 Pall Mall in London became the first street in Britain to be illuminated by gaslight. Street lighting itself was nothing new. For centuries, citizens were required to hang out lanterns or keep lights burning in windows that faced the streets. The new street gaslights were based on a patent by German…
The Great National Pike, also known as the Cumberland Road, became the first highway funded by the national treasury
Saturday 29th March 1806 The Great National Pike, also known as the Cumberland Road, became the first highway funded by the national treasury. Built between 1806 and 1840, the Great National Pike stretched from Cumberland, Maryland, to Vandalia, Illinois. On this day the first appropriation of $30,000 was made by congressional act. Eventually over $6…
Oliver Evans tested his Evans Steam ‘Orukter Amphibolos’ (amphibious digger) in Philadelphia, US
Saturday 13th July 1805 Oliver Evans tested his Evans Steam ‘Orukter Amphibolos’ (amphibious digger) in Philadelphia, US. Evans, an inventor of Welsh descent, drove his machine, the first self-propelled land vehicle in America, west from his shop at 9th and Market in Philadelphia to the Schuylkill River, parking it on the way for public display…
Isaac de Rivaz applied for a French patent on his ‘explosion motor’, an important ancestor of the modern internal combustion engine
Monday 8th April 1805 Isaac de Rivaz applied for a French patent on his ‘explosion motor’, an important ancestor of the modern internal combustion engine.
Engine pioneer Philippe LeBon died in Paris, France aged just 37
Saturday 1st December 1804 Engine pioneer Philippe LeBon died in Paris, France aged just 37. In 1801, LeBon invented an engine that improved on earlier designs by others. It used coal gas ignited by an electric spark. This is believed to be the first internal combustion engine. Although, very inefficient it would be later improved…
British inventor Richard Trevithick took seven of his friends for a test ride on his “Puffing Devil,” or “Puffer,” the first steam-powered passenger vehicle, on this day in 1801
Thursday 24th December 1801 British inventor Richard Trevithick took seven of his friends for a test ride on his “Puffing Devil,” or “Puffer,” the first steam-powered passenger vehicle, on this day in 1801. Unlike the steam engine pioneered by the Scotsman James Watt, Trevithick’s used “strong steam”–that is, steam at a very high pressure (145…
Charles Goodyear, who patented a process to vulcanize rubber in 1842, was born in New Haven, Connecticut, US
Monday 29th December 1800 Charles Goodyear, who patented a process to vulcanize rubber in 1842, was born in New Haven, Connecticut, US. Goodyear began his career as a partner in his father’s hardware business, which went bankrupt in 1830. He then became interested in discovering a method of treating india rubber so that it would…
Born on this day, Charles Goodyear, inventor of vulcanized rubber
Monday 29th December 1800 Born on this day, Charles Goodyear, inventor of vulcanized rubber. The industrial use of rubber is possible only because of vulcanization. Goodyear’s process made millions of dollars, but not for him. Widespread infringements on his patents, together with poor luck in business, left him deep in debt at his death in…
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