Friday 3rd April 1885

Gottlieb Daimler was granted a German patent for his one cylinder water-cooled engine design. Cool water circulated around the engine block, preventing the engine from overheating. Today’s engines still employ Daimler’s basic idea. Before the water-cooled engine, cars were practical impossibilities, as the parts on which the engine was mounted could not sustain the heat generated by the engine itself. Daimler built his first whole automobile towards the end of 1896.