Rudolf Diesel, German engineer, invented the diesel engine (born 1858)

Rudolf Christian Karl Diesel was a German inventor and mechanical engineer who invented the Diesel engine, which burns Diesel fuel; both are named after him.

The diesel engine, named after the German engineer Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of diesel fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is called a compression-ignition engine. This contrasts with engines using spark plug-ignition of the air-fuel mixture, such as a petrol engine or a gas engine.

September 29 is the 272nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 93 days remain until the end of the year.