François Isaac de Rivaz
| Isaac de Rivaz | |
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Isaac de Rivaz
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| Born |
December 19, 1752 Paris, Kingdom of France |
| Died | July 30, 1828 (aged 75) Sion, Switzerland |
| Nationality | French and Swiss |
| Occupation | Swiss politician, MP, Inventor |
| Known for | The world's first automobile powered by an 'internal combustion engine' |
François Isaac de Rivaz (Paris, December 19, 1752 – Sion, July 30, 1828) was an inventor and a politician. He invented a hydrogen-powered internal combustion engine with electric ignition and described it in a French patent published in 1807. In 1808 he fitted it into a primitive working vehicle – "the world's first internal combustion powered automobile".
Isaac was born in Paris to a family from Valais. In 1763 the family settled in Moûtiers in Savoy (Kingdom of Sardinia). The last two boys, Anne Joseph and Isaac, came to settle in St. Gingolph in Valais. It is not known at which schools he studied, but he became fluent in Latin plus mastering mathematics and geometry, whilst continuing his study of mechanics throughout his life. He qualified as both a surveyor and notary and worked for the state of Valais.
Isaac had many interests plus an intuitive and extremely curious mind which was driven by the demon of discovery. His experimental work was overflowing. He experimented with steam-powered vehicles in the late 18th century. He also studied the ignition of combustible gases.
After retirement from the Army, living in Switzerland, he invented a primitive internal combustion engine which he constructed in 1807. It was powered by a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen manually ignited by electric spark, but the engine neither involved the in-cylinder compression, the crank, nor the connecting rod. A year later, Isaac built an early automobile for his new engine to power. His engine was never commercially successful.
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