Rudolph Diesel

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Rudolph Diesel

1858-1913

German engineer who devised an internal combustion engine named after him. Based on his theoretical engineering education in Munich and his association with German refrigeration engineer Carl von Linde, Diesel recognized the potential for an internal combustion engine without any external ignition system for its operation. After many years of developmental work, he marketed a high-pressure, high-efficiency durable engine successfully employed in railroad locomotives, trucks, ships, and automobiles.