1895 Otto Columbian

1895 Otto Columbian

In the mid-1800s, inventors around the world were looking for alternatives to the steam engine, which was big, expensive, slow to start, and required special licensing to operate. Among them was Nikolaus Otto, a German engineer who built the first functioning four-stroke internal-combustion engine, which was the ancestor of hundreds of millions of automobile, marine and aircraft engines.

Otto built his first gasoline-powered engine in 1861. Three years later he formed a partnership with the German industrialist, Eugen…

Year:
1895
Make / Manufacturer:
Otto Gas Engine Works
Model:
Columbian
Location Created:
Philadelphia, PA
Donated By:
James Rockefeller