Inventor of the internal combustion engine

Michael Mosley, Cassie Newland and Mark Miodownik from the BBC series 'The Genius of Invention' describe the scientific achievements of Nicklaus Otto, Karl Benz and Henry Ford. Prior to this, the steam locomotive had started a revolution.

Richard Trevithick’s design had a boiler but this was removed to make the internal combustion engine. The German inventor Nicklaus Otto developed the first four-stroke engine in 1876. This could not be developed until kerosene, diesel and petrol were used in place of coal.

Karl Benz then developed the world’s first car using Otto’s design. Within 15 years, cars were so popular that there were no more horses on London’s streets. Henry Ford then built the Model T in 1913, using the first assembly line, with stationary workers and the product moved to them. This method changed the way we manufacture goods.

This clip is from: First broadcast:

Students could create a timeline highlighting the key people, points, inventions and applications of the combustion engine. Students could then try to extend the timeline to the current day by finding out about new car technology, such as hydrogen, electric and solar power.