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Nicolaus August Otto

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Inventor

The Resume

    (June 14, 1832-January 26, 1891)
    Born in Holzhausen an der Haide, Germany
    Invented the four-stroke internal combustion engine (1876)

Why he might be annoying:

    He showed no interest when one of his company’s managers, Gottlieb Daimler, suggested building smaller versions of his combustion engine for use in transportation.
    When Daimler formed his own company, he hired a lawyer to find a way out of having to pay royalties to Otto.
    The lawyer found that engineer Alphonse Beau de Rochas had received a French patent for the concept of a four-stroke engine in 1862, resulting in Otto’s patent being declared invalid.

Why he might not be annoying:

    His early two-stroke engine won a gold medal at the World Exhibition in Paris (1867).
    Despite Beau de Rochas’ patent, he was the first person to build a working four-stroke engine.
    His internal combustion engine was the first practical alternative to the steam engine.
    His internal combustion engine was an immediate hit, with his company selling over 50,000 during his lifetime.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 27 Votes: 18.52% Annoying