Famous engineers in history

We know. It’s virtually impossible to list the greatest engineers of all time. But it is fun to consider some of the greats, whose ideas and designs laid the foundation for future innovation. Here are some nominees for the short list of history’s greatest engineers:

1. Leonardo Da Vinci

Although many think of Leonardo Da Vinci as a painter and sculpture, he was also a master of architecture and engineering. His ideas were advanced for his time, and included flying machines, solar power and an adding machine.

2. Thomas Edison

Thomas Edison was an American businessman and inventor. His greatest invention was the lightbulb in 1879. He also had other major inventions, including the motion picture camera and phonograph.

3. Gustave Eiffel

Gustave Eiffel was a brilliant civil engineer best known for his design of the world-famous Eiffel Tower in 1887. He is also known for his work on bridges for the French railway and assistance with the design of the Statue of Liberty.

4. Henry Ford

Henry Ford was an American pioneer of engineering and founder of Ford Motor Company in 1903. He is the inventor of the modern car and assembly lines that allowed mass production. Because of his invention, cars became affordable and readily available to everyone.

5. Archimedes

Archimedes was an ancient Greek engineer, scientist and mathematician. Although not much is known about him, he laid the foundation for several modern designs. He is most famous for his invention of the screw pump and compact pulleys that were used for the irrigation of the Nile delta.

6. Nikola Tesla

Tesla was an immigrant to the United States from Serbia and a brilliant electrical engineer. His inventions include the induction motor, 3-phase electricity, fluorescent lighting and the Tesla coil. He also developed the AC current generation system made from a transformer and a motor. It was in his honor that Elon Musk, a brilliant if controversial engineer-businessman, named his electric car company, Tesla Motors.