François Isaac de Rivaz

François Isaac de Rivaz (Paris, December 19 1752 – Sion, July 30 1828) was an inventor from Switzerland. He is credited with the construction in 1806 of the first internal combustion engine, powered by a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen. He continued to build a rudimentary automobile powered by it in 1807. He also experimented with steam-powered vehicles in the late 18th century. It is reported that this engine was built, but was not commercially successful. Although there was a certain degree of early work on the idea of the internal combustion engine, development truly began in earnest in the mid-nineteenth century. Gasoline was not used for internal combustion engines until 1870.

See also

• Timeline of transportation technology
• Timeline of hydrogen technologies
• History of the internal combustion engine

References

External links

• 1807 Francois Isaac de Rivaz - internal combustion engine