Full Name: Gottlieb Wilhelm Daimler
Profession: Automobile Engineer and Inventor
Biography: Gottlieb Daimler had been working for the firm of the inventor of the internal-combustion engine Nikolaus A. Otto before he and colleague Wilhelm Maybach set out of their own in 1882.
Daimler and Maybach made changes to the combustion so it was more suited for transport; in 1885 they invented probably the world's first motorcycle, which they called the Reitwagen (Riding Car). A year later they attached their engine to a four-wheeled carriage and then a boat.
The commercial company Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft was founded in 1890 and it sold its first automobile in 1892. Daimler was forced out of the company in 1893 due to conflict with stockholders but returned a year later.
In 1926, after Daimler's death, Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft and Benz & Cie merged to form Daimler-Benz, It lives on today as the world's best-selling premier car company Mercedes-Benz.
Born: March 17, 1834
Birthplace: Schorndorf, Kingdom of Württemberg
Star Sign: Pisces
Historical Events
- 1885-08-29 Gottlieb Daimler receives German patent for a motorcycle
- 1885-11-10 German engineer Gottlieb Daimler unveils the world's first motorcycle
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