Diesel, Rudolf

Diesel, Rudolf (1858-1913), German engineer.

In 1897 Rudolf Diesel built a new type of engine which burned oil instead of petrol and was especially suitable for doing heavy work.

Today diesel engines, as they are called, are used for driving heavy trucks, trains, buses, tractors and heavy road building equipment, submarines and ships and electric generators.

See Morton Grosser Diesel, the man & the engine