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Rudolf Diesel was born in Paris in 1858. His parents were Bavarian immigrants. Rudolf Diesel was educated at Munich Polytechnic. After graduation he was employed as a refrigerator engineer. However, he true love lay in engine design. Rudolf Diesel designed many heat engines, including a solar-powered air engine. In 1893, he published a paper describing an engine with combustion within a cylinder, the internal combustion engine. In 1894, he filed for a patent for his new invention, dubbed the diesel engine. Rudolf Diesel was almost killed by his engine when it exploded. However, his engine was...

Most of us wouldn't even think of travelling in a car without fastening our seatbelt, and for good reason. In a crash, at just 30 miles per hour (48.3 kilometers per hour), an unrestrained passenger is thrown forward with a force thirty to sixty times their body weight. What if that unrestrained passenger were a small child? The child would almost certainly be hurled about inside the vehicle, injuring themselves and other passengers. Worse still, they're likely to be thrown from the vehicle through one of the windows. It's not even safe to hold a child on your lap while driving....

Hopefully, by the time winter's first storm hits, most people are prepared with a closet full of heavy coats and boots. This winter, make sure your car is as prepared as you are. Going the extra mile by getting your vehicle ready for winter and learning what it takes to drive safely through ice and snow could save your life. In this article, we'll tell you what your car needs to make it through winter, what to pack before you take a winter road trip, how to manage snowy and icy conditions, and what to do in the event of an accident. Here's a preview of our winter driving safety...

Most people know that cars come with two basic transmission types: manuals, which require that the driver change gears by depressing a clutch pedal and using a stick shift, and automatics, which do all of the shifting work for drivers using clutches, a torque converter and sets of planetary gears. But there's also something in between that offers the best of both worlds -- the dual-clutch transmission, also called the semi-automatic transmission, the "clutchless" manual transmission and the automated manual transmission. In the world of racecars, semi-automatic transmissions, such as the...

To the surprise of no one, Porsche has confirmed that it will build a four-door sedan, called the Panamera. It will be the fourth full model line from Zuffenhausen-joining the 911, the Boxster/Cayman, and the Cayenne. Porsche is referring to it as a four-door coupe, as Mercedes-Benz does with its CLS.

Owners of the next, aesthetically relaxed 7-series might not have to spend half their time defending their cars' looks, but they'll still be kept busy deciphering the big car's electronic doodads. The future BMW supersedan will include a head-up display, four-wheel adjustable air springs, an eye-movement monitor, a lane-departure warning system, and possibly a fission reactor. A hybrid version will follow after the standard model, which arrives in 2008.