Posted on 09/14/2012 2:23:44 PM PDT by null and void
We recently asked, “Who are the greatest engineers of all time?” and you, the engineering community, commented with your thoughts.
In the more than 115 comments posted, you also offered some good debate on who did what and who deserves to be called one of the greatest engineers of all time—so good, in fact, that commenter Al.Sledge posted:
“Reading the nominees was fantastic by itself. Thank you all. I often reflect on why I have such great vision and can see so far. It is because I sit atop the shoulders of the giants who preceded me.
“Ponder a moment what engineering would be like without the invention of ‘zero.’ Each great inventor is preceded by smaller discoveries of others plus a gift of vision.
“I doubt that I will ever make a great earth-shattering contribution to engineering, but I have the satisfaction of building things that others want built. For myself, it is not about ego, but rather the great satisfaction I get from seeing my ideas become reality.”
Well said, Al.Sledge. With that, we present a handful of giants: the five engineering greats most mentioned by EDN’s engineering community. Read on. Who landed in the top five may surprise
On a more serious note.
Whoever it was that got the Trilithon at Baalbek from point A to point B.
BA Baracus didn’t make the list? What about MacGyver?????
First name that came to my mind as well.
My top two nominees would be John Moses Browning ( http://www.bobtuley.com/johnbrowning.htm ) and Nikola Tesla. I have not checked the list yet.
I thought the same thing...the guy that built the
great pyramid would be on the list
No doubt about Tesla...never knew that his notes
were taken by the gov at his death,Tesla,a mind that
comes around every two or three hundred years
Yep. I've never seen or heard a plausible explanation for that. For some strange reason, Occam's Razor is not allowed in considering the possibilities... /g
I demand that a Muslim be put on the list so that they feel better about themselves.
Isambard Brunel
Nikola Tesla
Robert Stephenson
Robert Goddard
Sounds a little like, "You didn't build that. Someone else mad that happen."
Francis Julian Sprague, the “father of electric traction”.
He built the first successful trolley system in Richmond, in 1888. The design for suspending electric motors on locomotive trucks that he devised is still in use today.
He also invented “multiple-unit control”, which makes it possible to run two or more locomotives (or rapid-transit rail cars) from a single control station.
He pioneered modern elevator control, making skyscrapers possible.
The reason he isn’t well-known today is that he didn’t insist that his name be associated with his many inventions...
And his boss, George Westinghouse, preferred to have the name of his company attached to those inventions.
Kelly was an engineer’s engineer in the purest sense along with Burt Rutan. I would add ,from the ancient category, Hero of Alexandria.
Casey Jones?
bump for later
>> They have completely ignored the Muslims! What about all the miraculous inventions created by Muslims??
But what of the miraculous transcriptions?
The libraries of Alexandria were destroyed by resentful Christians and her existence eventually terminated by the Arabs. Being in possession of the loot, our Arab friends centuries later published the Greatest Work which was ultimately a collection of the Egyptian and Greek work “collected” earlier by king Alexander. Not much is attributed to the Arabs in terms of new math, but they certainly helped to keep the old knowledge available save that preserved in various corners of Europe.
The Christians weren’t all that bad. They eventually reared the barbarians bringing civilization Northward.
In the context of engineering, I’ll throw in votes for Ptolemy and Hipparchus for their alleged contribution of trig; an essential for engineering.
I was waiting for someone to add James Watt to the list.
Did you know that Watt invented a mysterious little mechanical gizmo that he kept secret from everyone including his businessman partner of many years? A few people knew it existed but he never revealed its purpose.
At each site on which a Watt steam engine was erected, Mr. Watt would insist on being left alone with the new machine for a few minutes. He would take this little device into the engine room. No one was allowed to observe him.
After his death, it was discovered that the little gizmo was a timing/alignment jig that enabled Watt to precisely set the valve timing to get the best efficiency from each engine.
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