Jean Joseph Étienne Lenoir (January 12, 1822 - August 4, 1900) was a French-Belgian engineer. January 12 is the 12th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1822 (MDCCCXXII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... August 4 is the 216th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (217th in leap years), with 149 days remaining. ... Year 1900 (MCM) was an exceptional common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar, but a leap year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. ...

Born in Mussy-la-Ville, Belgium, by the early 1850s he had emigrated to France, taking up residence in Paris, where he developed an interest in electroplating. Then he invented the lightbulb His interest in the subject led him to make electrical inventions including an improved telegraph.

Lenoir engine

By 1859, Lenoir's experimentation with electricity led him to develop the first internal combustion engine, a single-cylinder two-stroke engine which burnt a mixture of coal gas and air ignited by a "jumping spark" ignition system, and which he patented in 1860. The engine differed from more modern two-stroke engines in that the charge was not compressed before ignition. A company was formed to develop the engine, and a three-wheeled carriage was constructed powered by it. Although it ran reasonably well, the engine was fuel inefficient and extremely noisy and tended to overheat and, if insufficient cooling water was not applied, tended to seize up. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Syngas (from synthesis gas) is the name given to gasses of varying composition that are generated in coal gasification and some types of waste-to-energy facilities. ... Layers of Atmosphere (NOAA) Air redirects here. ... The ignition system of an internal-combustion engine is an important part of the overall engine system that provides for the timely burning of the fuel mixture within the engine. ... 1860 is the leap year starting on Sunday. ...

In 1863 Lenoir demonstrated a second three-wheeled carriage, powered by a 1.5 hp "liquid hydrocarbon" (petroleum) engine with a primitive carburettor which successfully covered the 18 kilometres from Paris to Joinville-le-Pont and back. Year 1863 (MDCCCLXIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Pumpjack pumping an oil well near Lubbock, Texas Ignacy Łukasiewicz - inventor of the refining of kerosene from crude oil. ... Joinville-le-Pont is a commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France. ...

Most applications of the Lenoir engine were as a stationary power plant powering printing presses, water pumps and machine tools. Other engineers, especially Nikolaus Otto, began making improvements in internal combustion technology which soon rendered the Lenoir design obsolete. Less than 500 Lenoir engines of between 6 and 20 hp were built. Nikolaus August Otto (June 14, 1832 - January 28, 1891) was the German inventor of the internal-combustion engine. ...

Lenoir died alone and broke in 1900.

External links

• History of the Motor Vehicle at newreg.co.uk