Greatest engineers of all times who made our lives easier

The word 'Engineer' by definition means the one who innovates to make people’s lives easier. When it comes to innovation, it is often said that lazy people make good engineers. This may actually be true only to a certain extent. But when the matter is of achieving greatness, hard work, as an attribute, cannot be ignored.

Let's take a look at the greatest engineers of all times who gifted humanity with new innovations that made our lives easier. Note that, the names do not follow any order.

Archimedes (287 BC - 212 BC)

Archimedes was a Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, inventor and astronomer. Although not much is known about his life, he is regarded as one of the greatest innovators of all times. His contribution to the development of machines including screw pumps and pulley systems make him a renown figure. Most of the students know him because of the famous 'Archimedes principle' in physics. He also developed defensive war machines to protect his home island Syracuse.

Leonardo Da Vinci (1452 - 1519)

Everyone knows Leonardo Da Vinci for his famous and mysterious artwork - Mona Lisa. However, not many are aware that Da Vinci was not only a great artist but also an extraordinary engineer. His inventions were way ahead of his own time. This Italian scientist conceptually devised the parachute, the helicopter, an armoured fighting vehicle, the use of concentrated solar power, a calculator etc. Interestingly, many of his theories are still left unravelled as modern-day scientists could not understand them. One reason for this was his unique way of writing his theories backwards so nobody could copy them. Well, it seems that his hard work for writing backwards did really pay off.

George Stephenson (1781 - 1848)

Renowned as the 'Father of Railways', George Stephenson was an English civil and mechanical engineer. He invented rail transport which was one of the most important technological inventions of the 19th century and a key component of the then ongoing industrial revolution.

James Watt (1736-1819)

Watt is also well known for his valuable contribution during the industrial revolution. He improved upon the idea of steam engines and created the Watt steam engine. James Watt had an avid interest in the power and potential of steam. He also coined the concept of horsepower and unit the unit of power 'watt' was named after him.

Thomas Alva Edison (1847 - 1931)

Thomas Alva Edison - everyone is well aware of this name. If it was not for his invention of the light bulb, the world would still be working with ancient lamps. Edison, even today, is considered as one of the greatest engineers of all times. He also developed many devices in fields like electric power generation, mass communication and sound recording. It would be impossible to imagine today's world without all these innovations.

Alexander Graham Bell (1847 - 1922)

Bell's contribution to modern-day ease of life can not be overlooked. He is credited for inventing the first practical telephone and also co-founded the American Telephone and Telegraph Company(AT&T) in 1855. Apart from this, he is also praised for his creativity in optical telecommunications, hydrofoil and aeronautics. It's hard to think of a world without telephones.

Alan Turing  (1912 - 1954)

If you're a computer science enthusiast, then, in no way, can you not know this revolutionary figure. Alan Mathison Turing was an English mathematician, computer scientist, logician and cryptanalyst. He was highly influential in the development of theoretical computer science and his research on Turing Machines is an essential component of the syllabus of computer science students. He formed the concepts of algorithm and computation with the Turing machine, which is the model of a general-purpose computer. Turing is widely considered as the father of computer science and artificial intelligence.

His work as cryptanalyst is also applaudable. During the second world war, Turing played a critical role in cracking German ciphers, which reduced the war by up to two years and saved over 14 million lives.

The Wright Brothers

The Wright Brothers - Orville (1871 - 1948) and Wilbur (1867 - 1912) - were the two American aviation pioneers who changed the entire landscape of the aviation industry. These two innovators hold the credit of inventing, building and flying the world's first successful motor-operated aeroplane. It is because of this innovation that flying became a living reality for normal people.

Elon Musk (1971 - present)

Elon Reeve Musk is arguably one of the best living innovators of America. He is also one of the greatest engineers of all times. Musk is the founder of SpaceX, Tesla Motors and SolarCity. His innovations are remarkable as he mainly focuses on sustainable development. Tesla Motors made electric cars affordable for middle classes whereas SpaceX is working on making space travels a reality. Apart from this, his latest inventions Hyperloop and Neuralink are also revolutionary for the future of the world.

The author of the article is Mansi Mishra, Cybermedia.