Top 15 famous engineers of all time ranked: Who reshaped the world?
Engineers are professionals whose ingenuity and problem-solving skills have brought inventions to make lives easier. They shape our world today while continuing to pave the way for a future filled with endless possibilities. This article highlights famous engineers whose works have left a lasting legacy and an indelible mark in history.
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Famous engineers include names of inventors or innovators whose products have impacted humanity in one way or another. They are some of the best in the field and have become renowned for their groundbreaking inventions.
Famous engineers in history
From ancient engineering concepts to the cutting-edge inventions of the modern era, here are some of the world’s most famous engineers and their remarkable impact on today’s society.
1. Leonardo Da Vinci
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Leonardo Da Vinci is arguably one of the world's best engineers due to his ingenuity and creativity. He conceptualised concentrated solar power, flying machines, double hulls, and a type of fighting vehicle.
Although relatively few of his ideas were feasible then, some of his more minor inventions entered the manufacturing world unheralded. They include a machine for testing the tensile strength of wire and an automated bobbin winder.
2. Elon Musk
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Musk is a South African-born American engineer, inventor, entrepreneur and philanthropist. He is the former chairman of Tesla Inc. and is the mind behind the company’s electric cars that reduce gas emissions.
Some of Elon’s other notable innovations include SolarCity, SpaceX and Hyperloop. He is among the engineers who became famous in the financial world.
3. Alexander Graham Bell
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Alexander Bell was a Scottish-born Canadian-American scientist, inventor and engineer. He is credited with patenting the first practical telephone in 1876. Graham’s life works on elocution and speech were influenced by his mother and wife being deaf.
In addition, he also concentrated on optical telecommunications, aeronautics and hydrofoils. Due to his creations, Bell received various accolades, including the NAS Member (1883), the Albert Medal (1902), the John Fritz Medal (1907) and the Elliott Cresson Medal (1912).
4. Lewis Howard Latimer
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Lewis Latimer is ranked among the world’s most famous black engineers who have made fundamental mechanical inventions.
These inventions include an improved process for manufacturing carbon filaments for light bulbs, an evaporative air conditioner and an improved toilet system for railroad cars. Latimer’s contribution to the lighting industry significantly made electric lighting more affordable and accessible.
5. George Stephenson
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George Stephenson, renowned as the Father of Railways, is among the world’s most famous civil engineers during the Industrial Revolution. His preferred rail gauge is considered the standard gauge used in most railways.
Stephenson pioneered rail transport and, together with his son, built the first steam locomotive to carry individuals on a public rail. He also constructed the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, the first public inter-city railway line to use locomotives.
6. James Watt
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James Watt is among the top famous mechanical engineers whose works on the steam engine were significant to the changes brought by the Industrial Revolution worldwide. The SI unit of power, the Watt, was named after him after he developed the concept of horsepower. James’ other inventions include the copying machine, which he started to create in 1779.
7. Nikola Tesla
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Nikola Tesla, a Serbian-American electrical and mechanical engineer, is widely recognised for his contributions to the design of the modern alternating current electricity supply system.
His inventions include electric oscillators, meters, improved lights and the high-voltage transformer known as the Tesla coil. In 1960, the SI unit of magnetic flux density, the tesla, was named Nikola’s honour by the General Conference on Weights and Measures.
8. Wright brothers
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Orville and Wilner Wright, the Wright brothers, invented the world’s first successful motor-operated aeroplane. Their breakthrough invention was the three-axis control system, which allowed the pilot to steer the aircraft effectively and maintain its equilibrium.
The brothers acquired mechanical skills while working at a Dayton, Ohio-based shop with bicycles, printing presses and other machinery.
9. Thomas Edison
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Thomas Edison was an American inventor who built many devices in the field, such as mass communication, electric power generation, motion pictures and sound recording.
He was one of the first engineers to apply the principles of organised science and teamwork in the invention process. Thomas was best known for working with researchers and employees and establishing the first industrial research laboratory.
10. Nicolaus August Otto
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A German engineer, Nicolaus Otto, developed the compressed charge internal combustion engine, which ran on petroleum gas.
His invention, the four-stroke, Otto-cycle engine, was revolutionary and led to the modern internal combustion engine. A four-stroke engine is an internal combustion engine where the piston completes four separate strokes while turning the crankshaft.
11. Henry Ford
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Henry Ford was the founder of Ford Motor Company. He was the first inventor to manufacture an affordable automobile for the middle class. Ford was awarded a patent for the transmission mechanism that would be utilised in the Model T and other cars in 1911.
12. Charles Babbage
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Charles Babbage was an English inventor, mathematician, polymath, philosopher and mechanical engineer. Popularly known as the Father of the Computer, he is credited with inventing the first mechanical computer, the Difference Engine, and the mind behind the digital programmable computer. The Difference Engine led to more complex electronic designs.
13. Mae Carol Jemison
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Who is the most famous female engineer? Mae Jemison is an American physician, engineer and former NASA astronaut. In 1992, she became the first African-American woman to travel into space.
Carol has received several honorary doctorates and has been inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame and the National Women’s Hall of Fame.
14. Alexandre Gustave Eiffel
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Gustave Eiffel was a French civil engineer. His company designed the world-famous Eiffel Tower for the 1889 Universal Exposition in Paris. Eiffel significantly contributed to making the Statue of Liberty in New York.
15. Neil Alden Armstrong
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Last but by no means least on the list is Neil Armstrong, an aeronautical engineer who became the first man to walk on the Moon in 1969. For this, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Richard Nixon and received the Collier Trophy in 1969.
In 1978, President Jimmy Carter presented Neil with the Congressional Space Medal of Honour. He was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1979.
Famous engineers include some popular names from the current and past generations. The extensive list includes well-known inventors like Elon Musk, Henry Ford and Alexander Graham Bell. Their accomplishments have made them unique and cemented their names in engineering.
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