The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel: Genius, Power, and Deception on the Eve of World War I

by Douglas Brunt

Seemingly incongruous, the future inventor of the Diesel engine also invented the ice cube.

There are four American virtues which I believe basic. First, I would name the absence of any durably fixed classes. Your poor and rich, laboring and professional classes are quite readily interchangeable…. Next, I would say that the distribution of intelligence and charity among everyday Americans is very fair and generous. My third point is great respect for American inventive talents, also exceptionally well distributed among all kinds of workers. And finally the modesty of important Americans. Modesty of important people invites more of its kind. When reporters asked about the rumor that Diesel was assisting the Royal Navy to build a Diesel-powered fleet of submarines, Diesel demurred.

We have got to strike our bargain with machinery and technology, and we still do not

know how to go about it. We are just beginning to make our way in this new age, so full of dangers, and, at the same time, so full of promise.