Louis Renault (February 15, 1877, Paris, France – October 24, 1944) was a French industrialist and one of the foremost pioneers of the automobile industry. February 15 is the 46th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1877 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... The Eiffel Tower has become a symbol of Paris throughout the world. ... October 24 is the 297th day of the year (298th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 68 days remaining. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Industrialist is an individual who operates or controls a substantial industrial business over a period of time, usually amassing substantial fortunes or political power in the process, and who tends to become widely known within society in connection with their industry, or through other pursuits such as philanthropy. ... A small variety of cars, the most popular kind of automobile. ...

The youngest of five children born into a Paris bourgeoisie family, Renault was fascinated by engineering and mechanics from a very early age, and would spend many hours in the Serpollet steam car workshop or tinkering with old Panhard engines in the tool shed of the family's second home in Billancourt. He built his first car in 1898, a modified De Dion-Bouton cycle which featured a revolutionary universally jointed propeller driveshaft that included a three speed gearbox plus a reverse, with the third gear in direct drive (Louis was to patent this idea a year later). On 24 December 1898, he won a bet with his friends that his invention was capable of driving up the slope of Lepic street in Montmartre. As well as winning the bet, Renault received 12 definite orders for the vehicle. Seeing the commercial potential in his ingenuity, he teamed up with his two elder brothers Marcel (1872-1903) and Fernand (1865-1909) who had business experience from assisting in the running of their father's textiles firm, to form the Renault Frères company in 1899. Initially, business and administration was handled entirely by the elder brothers, with Louis dedicating himself to design and manufacturing. However, in 1908 he took overall control of the company after Fernand retired for health reasons (Marcel having being killed earlier in the Paris-Madrid motor race of 1903). Bourgeoisie (RP [], GA []) in modern use refers to the wealthy or propertied social class in a capitalist society. ... Engineering applies scientific and technical knowledge to solve human problems. ... Mechanics refers to: a craft relating to machinery (from the Latin mechanicus, from the Greek mechanikos, meaning one skilled in machines), or a range of disciplines in science and engineering. ... A Panhard-Levassor was the first automobile to be introduced in Japan, in 1898 A 1920s Panhard A VBL of the French Army Panhard, originally Panhard et Levassor, is a French automobile manufacturer. ... Boulogne-Billancourt is a city and commune in France, the sous-préfecture (=subprefecture) of the Hauts-de-Seine département in the ÃŽle-de-France région. ... 1898 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... de Dion-Bouton was a successful French automobile manufacturer at the beginning of the 20th century. ... A cycle (Latin cyclus, from Greek kuklos meaning circle) is anything round, in the physical sense (e. ... Cardan driveshaft with universal joints A driveshaft or driving shaft or Cardan shaft is a mechanical device for transferring power from the engine or motor to the point where useful work is applied. ... A gearbox is an assembly of gears allowing the rotational speed of an input shaft to be changed to a different speed. ... December 24 is the 358th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (359th in leap years). ... 1898 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Montmartre seen from the centre Georges Pompidou (1897), a painting by Camille Pissarro of the boulevard that led to Montmartre as seen from his hotel room. ... 1872 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1903 (MCMIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1865 is a common year starting on Sunday. ... 1909 (MCMIX) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... This article is about the type of fabric. ... 1899 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1908 (MCMVIII) is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Plaza de Cibeles (Cibeles square) and the Palacio de Comunicaciones (Communications Palace) Coat of arms Madrid, the capital of Spain, is located in the center of the country at 40°25′N 3°45′W. Population of Madrid city was 3,093,000 (Madrilenes, madrileños) as of 2003 estimates. ... Auto racing (also known as automobile racing or autosport) is a sport involving racing automobiles. ...

Over the next forty years Renault was to remain very controlling of his company, dealing with Renault's rapid expansion and various cases of labor unrest while designing countless new inventions, most of which are still in use today, such as hydraulic shock absorbers, the modern drum brake, compressed gas ignition, the turbocharger, and the taximeter. He was decorated with the Legion of Honor after the First World War for the success of his military designs, that most famously included the revolutionary Renault FT-17 tank. During the Nazi occupation of France during the Second World War, the Renault company (like all French companies) was put under the total control of the Germans, and Louis chose to remain. Consequently, when France was liberated in 1944, he was arrested for industrial collaboration with Nazi Germany, and died under what some call questionable circumstances, while awaiting trial in Fresnes Prison. Unrest is an indie rock band from the Washington DC area. ... In music, an invention is a short composition with two or three part counterpoint. ... Hydraulics is a branch of science and engineering concerned with the use of liquids to perform mechanical tasks. ... A shock absorber is a mechanical device designed to smooth out or damp a sudden shock impulse and dissipate kinetic energy. ... A drum brake is a brake in which the friction is caused by a set of shoes or pads that press against the inner surface of a rotating drum. ... Turbocharger Cut-away A turbocharger is an exhaust gas driven compressor used in internal-combustion engines to increase the power output of the engine by increasing the mass of oxygen entering the engine. ... A taximeter is a mechanical or electronic device installed in taxicabs which calculates passenger fares based on a combination of distance travelled and waiting time. ... Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... General characteristics Length 5 m Width 1. ... Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ... France, along with the United Kingdom, was one of the first participants in World War II after declaring war on Nazi Germany following its invasion of Poland in 1939. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Collaboration, literally, consists of working together with one or more other people. ... Fresnes Prison (Centre pénitentiaire de Fresnes) is the second largest prison in France, located in the town of Fresnes, Val-de-Marne near the city of Paris. ...