Nikolaus August Otto
Nikolaus August Otto (10 June 1832 – 26 January 1891) was a German engineer, who was a pioneer of internal combustion engines and automobile development. He is best known for the invention of the four-stroke gasoline engine, which is still in wide use today.
Otto was born in Holzhausen, Germany. He was the 5th child of August Timotheus Otto and his wife Emilie Fielde. His father was a successful winemaker, brewer, and distiller. As a child, Otto was interested in science and technology and was fascinated by gas engines.
He received his first training in engineering at Schwartz GmbH in Erfurt, where he studied mechanical engineering. After graduating in 1855, Otto worked at the Lipper & Mann GmbH engineering company in Mannheim and the Dynamite & Steelworks in Bonn. In 1862, he joined the natural gas engine manufacturer Gebrüder Beißner, where he developed a 4-stroke internal combustion engine.
In 1876, Otto presented an engine at the Worlds Industrial and Agricultural Exhibition in Philadelphia, PA, which was widely regarded as the first successful 4-stroke gas engine. This engine became known as the Otto cycle, and it is still widely used today in automobiles and trucks.
In 1877, Otto founded his own company, N.A. Otto & Cie, which set up branch locations in several European cities. The company produced stationary and mobile gas engines. Otto was also a partner in the Gasmotorenfabrik Deutz AG, where he worked closely with Wilhelm Maybach, who became the first chief designer of Mercedes Benz.
In 1879, Otto presented his newest engine, the four-stroke engine, to the public, which was launched officially in 1880. This engine had many improvements, such as a shorter cycle time, increased power, and a larger displacement. This engine was the foundation for the internal combustion engine and eventually became known as the Otto cycle, although it didnt bear his name at the time.
Otto continued to improve his engine until his death in 1891, and his work helped to revolutionize the world of transportation. In 1895, the first true automobile was created by Karl Benz, and it used an engine based on the Otto cycle. The Otto cycle is still used in automobiles and other forms of transportation today, and Ottos legacy lives on.
Although Otto only lived for 59 years, he made an enormous impact on the world of engineering, transportation, and automobiles. His work inspired other inventors and engineers and helped to create the modern transportation that we have today. He will forever be remembered as one of the greatest pioneers in the fields of engineering and transportation.
