Leo Engineers

Vote for Your Favourite Leo Engineers

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 1 
Steve Wozniak
(Co-Founder of Apple Inc.)
Steve Wozniak
30
Birthdate: August 11, 1950
Birthplace: San Jose, California, United States

Widely recognized as one of the two important pioneers of the personal computer revolution, Steve Wozniak is credited with co-founding Apple Inc. along with Steve Jobs. Not surprisingly, he has been described as one of the men that changed the course of history through technology. Apart from being a programmer and technology entrepreneur, Steve Wozniak is also a well-known philanthropist.

 2 
William Murdoch
(Scottish Engineer and Inventor Who Was the First to Make Extensive Use of Coal Gas for Illumination)
William Murdoch
10
Birthdate: August 21, 1754
Birthplace: Lugar, Scotland
Died: November 15, 1839

Scottish engineer William Murdoch initially worked for the firm of Matthew Boulton and James Watt. He later made a host of inventions and was the first to use coal gas for illumination. He was also known for his work on steam energy and invented the oscillating engine and the D slide valve.

 3 
Thomas Telford
(Civil Engineer)
Thomas Telford
5
Birthdate: August 9, 1757
Birthplace: Eskdale, Dumfriesshire, Scotland
Died: September 2, 1834

Scottish civil engineer Thomas Telford had begun his career as a mason at 14, having lost his father in infancy. A self-taught architect, he was responsible for building many structures, including the Caledonian Canal and the Menai Suspension Bridge. Named The Colossus of Roads, he symbolized the Scottish Enlightenment.

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 4 
John Logie Baird
13
Birthdate: August 13, 1888
Birthplace: Helensburgh
Died: June 14, 1946

Scottish inventor, electrical engineer, and innovator, John Logie Baird, is best known for demonstrating a working TV system in 1926. He then went on to invent the first viable purely electronic color TV picture tube and founded the Baird Television Development Company. He was inducted into the Scottish Engineering Hall of Fame in 2015.

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 5 
Neil Armstrong
(The First Person to Walk on the Moon)
Neil Armstrong
10
Birthdate: August 5, 1930
Birthplace: Wapakoneta, Ohio, United States
Died: August 25, 2012

The first person to walk on the Moon, Neil Armstrong was an astronaut and aeronautical engineer. Prior to his trip to the Moon, he became NASA's first civilian astronaut to fly in space. After resigning from NASA, he taught in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Cincinnati. He was a Presidential Medal of Freedom awardee.

 6 
Margaret Hamilton
(American Computer Scientist, Systems Engineer, and Business Owner)
Margaret Hamilton
6
Birthdate: August 17, 1936
Birthplace: Paoli, Indiana, United States

Credited with coining the term software engineering, computer scientist and systems engineer, Margaret Heafield Hamilton served as the Director of the Software Engineering Division of the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory, overseeing the development of the on-board flight software for NASA's Apollo program.  A prolific writer, she is also the founder of two software companies; Higher Order Software and Hamilton Technologies.

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 7 
John Carmack
(Chief technology officer, Aerospace engineer, Programmer, Computer scientist)
John Carmack
12
Birthdate: August 20, 1970
Birthplace: Kansas City

Computer-game developer John Carmack introduced pioneering innovations in the 3-D game arena. He specializes in first-person shooter games, such as Quake and Doom. The id Software founder had spent a year in a juvenile home and had later dropped out of university to become a freelance programmer.

 8 
Henri Fayol
(Industrialist, Management Thinker)
Henri Fayol
9
Birthdate: July 29, 1841
Birthplace: Constantinople, Ottoman Empire
Died: November 19, 1925

Henri Fayol was a French mining engineer, author, mining executive, and director of mines. He is credited with developing a theory of business administration called Fayolism. Along with Frederick Winslow Taylor, Henri Fayol is credited with founding modern management methods.

 9 
Gene Kranz
(American Aerospace Engineer Who Served as Nasa's Second Chief Flight Director)
Gene Kranz
6
Birthdate: August 17, 1933
Birthplace: Toledo, Ohio, United States
 10 
Zoe Quinn
(Video Game Developer)
Zoe Quinn
11
Birthdate: August 13, 1987
Birthplace: United States
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 11 
Leslie Groves
(United States Army Officer in Charge of the Construction of 'The Pentagon' and Director of 'The Manhattan Project')
Leslie Groves
3
Birthdate: August 17, 1896
Birthplace: Albany, New York, United States
Died: July 13, 1970

US Army officer Leslie Groves is best remembered for his association with the Manhattan Project, which was aimed at developing atom bombs during World War II. He was also in-charge of building a place to house the War Department’s staff in a structure that later became the Pentagon.

 12 
Tim Schafer
(Engineer, Programmer, Video game developer)
Tim Schafer
5
Birthdate: July 26, 1967
Birthplace: Sonoma
 13 
Giorgetto Giugiaro
(Automobile Designer)
Giorgetto Giugiaro
4
Birthdate: August 7, 1938
Birthplace: Garessio, Piedmont, Italy
 14 
Clive Sinclair
(Entrepreneur, Engineer, Inventor, Computer scientist)
Clive Sinclair
3
Birthdate: July 30, 1940
Birthplace: Surrey

A consumer electronics pioneer, entrepreneur Clive Sinclair began his business venture selling radio and amplifier kits. He went on to launch the word’s first pocket calculator and later also worked on products such as digital watches and pocket TV. He is a fan of poker and is a Mensa member.

 15 
Alan Mulally
(Engineer)
Alan Mulally
4
Birthdate: August 4, 1945
Birthplace: Oakland, California, U.S.
 16 
Henry Ford
(The Founder of the ‘Ford Motor Company’)
Henry Ford
17
Birthdate: July 30, 1863
Birthplace: Springwells Township, Michigan, United States
Died: April 7, 1947

Business magnate and founder of the Ford Motor Company, Henry Ford is credited to have made the automobile an accessible conveyance for Americans in the 20th century. Following the success of his company, he became one of the richest and best-known people in the world. He also became known for his pacifism during the first years of World War I.

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 17 
Giovanni Agnelli
(Italian Businessman and Founder of 'Fiat')
Giovanni Agnelli
3
Birthdate: August 13, 1866
Birthplace: Villar Perosa
Died: December 16, 1945
 18 
Jacques Piccard
(Engineer)
Jacques Piccard
3
Birthdate: July 28, 1922
Birthplace: Brussels
Died: November 1, 2008

Oceanic engineer Jacques Piccard is remembered for his revolutionary inventions such as the mesoscaphe and the bathyscaphe, which he had built for under-sea exploration. The son of renowned engineer and explorer Auguste Piccard, he was initially an economics teacher but later began collaborating with his father on various inventions.

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 19 
Frank J. Sprague
(Engineer)
Frank J. Sprague
2
Birthdate: July 25, 1857
Birthplace: Milford
Died: October 25, 1934
 20 
Alexis Tsipras
(Former Prime Minister of Greece and the Current Opposition Leader)
Alexis Tsipras
12
Birthdate: July 28, 1974
Birthplace: Athens

Alexis Tsipras is a Greek politician who served as the Prime Minister of the country from 2015 to 2019. From 2018 to 2019, he served as the Minister for Foreign Affairs. The current Leader of the Opposition, Alexis Tsipras has also been serving as the president of Syriza, the left wing political party in Greece . In 2015, he was named among 100 most influential people by Time.

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 21 
Pierre Charles L'Enfant
(French-American Military Engineer Who Designed the Basic Plan for Washington, D.C.)
Pierre Charles L'Enfant
6
Birthdate: August 2, 1754
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: June 14, 1825
Born to a famous French painter in Paris, Pierre Charles L'Enfant later joined the rebels in American Revolutionary War. While working as a military engineer in the U.S., he changed his name from Pierre to Peter. He was hired by George Washington to design the L'Enfant Plan for establishing Washington D.C.
 22 
Geoffrey de Havilland
(Aerospace engineer, Engineer, Test pilot, Aviator, Entrepreneur)
Geoffrey de Havilland
3
Birthdate: July 27, 1882
Birthplace: High Wycombe
Died: May 21, 1965

Aviation pioneer and aircraft designer Geoffrey de Havilland is best remembered for his double-engine warplane Mosquito and the jet airliner Comet. He was part of the Royal Flying Corps and had been knighted for his achievements. He was also the founder of the De Havilland Aircraft Company.

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 23 
Elisha Gray
(Engineer)
Elisha Gray
3
Birthdate: August 2, 1835
Birthplace: Barnesville
Died: January 21, 1901
 24 
Michael J. Massimino
(Engineer, Astronaut)
Michael J. Massimino
4
Birthdate: August 19, 1962
Birthplace: New York City
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 25 
Stuart Roosa
(NASA Astronaut Who Piloted the Apollo 14 Mission)
Stuart Roosa
3
Birthdate: August 16, 1933
Birthplace: Durango, Colorado, United States
Died: December 12, 1994

NASA astronaut and USAF pilot Stuart Roosa served as the Command Module Pilot for the 1971 Apollo 14 mission. He had begun his career as a smokejumper for the US Forest Service, before moving on to the USAF. Following his stint at NASA, he worked as an executive for Greek and US businesses.

 26 
Vladimir K. Zworykin
(Russian-American Inventor of Television Transmitting and Receiving System Employing Cathode Ray Tubes)
Vladimir K. Zworykin
3
Birthdate: July 29, 1888
Birthplace: Murom, Russia
Died: July 29, 1982

Often referred to as the Father of the Television, Russian-American engineer Vladimir K. Zworykin is remembered for inventing the kinescope picture tube, also known as the cathode-ray tube, used in the television. He was associated with the Radio Corporation of America, and his other creations included the iconoscope camera.

 27 
Bob Behnken
(Astronaut)
Bob Behnken
3
Birthdate: July 28, 1970
Birthplace: Saint Ann, Missouri, United States

NASA astronaut Bob Behnken has also served as a colonel in the U.S. Air Force. He was the mission specialist on both the STS-123 and STS-130 space flights. The Air Force Achievement Medal winner is married to astronaut K. Megan McArthur. He also holds a radio license.

 28 
Neel Kashkari
(Investment banker, Politician)
Neel Kashkari
3
Birthdate: July 30, 1973
Birthplace: Akron, Ohio, United States
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 29 
Campbell Newman
(38th Premier of Queensland From 2012 to 2015)
Campbell Newman
3
Birthdate: August 12, 1963
Birthplace: Canberra, Australia

Liberal National Party leader and former Premier of Queensland Campbell Newman was born into a family of politicians and senators from Tasmania. After serving the Australian Army for 13 years, he bagged civil engineering and MBA degrees. As the mayor of Brisbane, he was named the world’s fifth-best mayor.

 30 
Samuel Langley
(American Aviation Pioneer, Astronomer and Physicist Known for Inventing 'Bolometer')
Samuel Langley
1
Birthdate: August 22, 1834
Birthplace: Roxbury, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Died: February 27, 1906

Astrophysicist Samuel Pierpont Langley had worked as an engineer before he taught physics and astronomy at the Western University of Pennsylvania. He later took over as the director of the Allegheny Observatory. He is best remembered for his research on solar radiation and for inventing the bolometer.

 31 
Xeni Jardin
(journalist)
Xeni Jardin
3
Birthdate: August 5, 1972
Birthplace: Richmond
 32 
Anna Murphy
(Musician and audio engineer)
Anna Murphy
1
Birthdate: August 10, 1989
Birthplace: Lucerne, Switzerland

While she gained recognition with the folk metal band Eluveitie, which she joined at age 16, Swiss musician Anna Murphy later also led the 3-member folk rock band Cellar Darling. Born to opera singer parents, she was never a stranger to music. Proficient in hurdy-gurdy, she also plays the flute at times.

 33 
Robert Dudley
(Explorer)
Robert Dudley
2
Birthdate: August 7, 1574
Birthplace: Richmond Palace, Surrey, England
Died: September 6, 1649
 34 
Charles Darrow
(Inventor, Publisher, Patent inventor)
Charles Darrow
3
Birthdate: August 10, 1889
Birthplace: Philadelphia
Died: August 29, 1967
 35 
Felix Wankel
(Inventor, Engineer, Politician)
Felix Wankel
2
Birthdate: August 13, 1902
Birthplace: Lahr
Died: October 9, 1988
 36 
Rupert Neve
(Engineer, Audio engineer)
Rupert Neve
8
Birthdate: July 31, 1926
Birthplace: Newton Abbot

A pioneer in the design of audio recording equipments, Arthur Rupert Neve began his career designing public address systems, recording speakers and singers on lacquer discs. He later started his own business, designing analog recording and audio mixing equipments, .establishing Neve Electronics, Focusrite, AMS Neve, and finally Rupert Neve Designs.  Many of his long-discontinued products are now considered collectors' items.

 37 
Artem Mikoyan
(Aircraft designer, who cofounded the Mikoyan-Gurevich design bureau)
Artem Mikoyan
0
Birthdate: August 5, 1905
Birthplace: Sanahin, Armenia
Died: December 9, 1970
 38 
Sidney Harman
(American Engineer, Businessman and Former Chairman Emeritus of 'Harman International Industries, Inc')
Sidney Harman
5
Birthdate: August 4, 1918
Birthplace: Montreal, Canada
Died: April 12, 2011
Sidney Harman was an engineer and businessman who also served as the U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce in 1977-1978. The Canadian-born American engineer was the publisher of Newsweek after purchasing the magazine for one dollar in 2010. He began the high-fidelity industry with the founding of Harman/Kardon, Inc. in 1952 and is known for the Quality of Working Life programs.
 39 
Luigi Colani
(German Industrial Designer)
Luigi Colani
2
Birthdate: August 2, 1928
Birthplace: Berlin
 40 
Ludvig Nobel
(Entrepreneur, Engineer, Philanthropist)
Ludvig Nobel
2
Birthdate: July 27, 1831
Birthplace: Stockholm
Died: April 12, 1888

Ludvig Nobel was a Swedish-Russian engineer, humanitarian, and businessman. Along with his brother Robert, Ludvig operated an oil company named Branobel, which produced fifty percent of the world's oil at one point. Best remembered for creating the Russian oil industry, Ludvig Nobel was one of the richest men in the world. Ludvig Nobel is also credited with inventing oil tankers.  

 41 
Alfred Aho
(Computer scientist, Engineer, Programmer)
Alfred Aho
2
Birthdate: August 9, 1941
Birthplace: Timmins

Alfred Aho is a Canadian computer scientist. He is best known for his work on compilers, programming languages, and related algorithms. He is the author of several popular textbooks on the art and science of computer programming. Along with his long-time collaborator Jeffrey Ullman, he was awarded the 2020 Turing Award, one of the most prestigious awards in computer science. 

 42 
John Hopkinson
(British Physicist and Electrical Engineer Who Invented the Three-Wire System for Electricity Distribution)
John Hopkinson
1
Birthdate: July 27, 1849
Birthplace: Manchester, England
Died: August 27, 1898

The son of a mechanical engineer, John Hopkinson followed in his father’s footsteps. Remembered for his research on alternating current, the British engineer and physicist developed the three-wire system for distributing electricity. He died in a mountaineering accident in the Alps, along with three of his six children.

 43 
Robert Thirsk
(Canadian Engineer, Physician and a Former Canadian Space Agency Astronaut)
Robert Thirsk
2
Birthdate: August 17, 1953
Birthplace: New Westminster, Canada

Canadian astronaut Robert Thirsk made history when he became the first person to receive a degree from space when he was awarded an honorary degree while on a space mission. He also boasts of an MIT Sloan MBA. A mechanical engineer, he had initially also studied medicine.

 44 
William Hyde Wollaston
(Chemist, Physicist, Engineer, Metallurgist)
William Hyde Wollaston
2
Birthdate: August 6, 1766
Birthplace: Norfolk
Died: December 22, 1828

William Hyde Wollaston was a pioneer of powder metallurgy and the first to develop malleable platinum from its ore. He is also credited with the discoveries of palladium and rhodium. A Fellow of the Royal Society, he dictated his last Bakerian lecture, as he was too ill to deliver it.

 45 
Henry Maudslay
(English Machine Tool Innovator, Tool and Die Maker Who is Considered a Founding Father of Machine Tool Technology)
Henry Maudslay
2
Birthdate: August 22, 1771
Birthplace: Woolwich, London, England
Died: February 14, 1831

While he initially apprenticed under a lock maker, he later joined the factory of Sir Marc Isambard Brunel, where he invented scores of machines, the most notable of them being the metal lathe. He also developed plane surfaces to aid his workmen at his factory. He was married to inventor Joseph Bramah's housemaid.

 46 
Joseph Engelberger
(American Physicist, Engineer and Entrepreneur Who Developed the First Industrial Robot in the United States)
Joseph Engelberger
2
Birthdate: July 26, 1925
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York City, United States
Died: December 1, 2015

Known as the Father of Robotics, Joseph Engelberger went down in history as the developer of the first industrial robot in the U.S., the Unimate, which was installed in a GM plant. His book Robotics in Practice is classic in the field of robotics and has been translated in multiple languages.

 47 
Seth Lloyd
(Educator, Scientist)
Seth Lloyd
0
Birthdate: August 2, 1960
Birthplace: United States
 48 
Walter H. Schottky
(Physicist)
Walter H. Schottky
2
Birthdate: July 23, 1886
Birthplace: Zürich, Switzerland
Died: March 4, 1976
 49 
Gerald Carr
(American Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineer Who Commanded the 'Skylab 4 Mission')
Gerald Carr
2
Birthdate: August 22, 1932
Birthplace: Denver, Colorado, United States
Died: August 26, 2020

Mechanical and aeronautical engineer Gerald Carr is best remembered for commanding the Skylab 4 mission, which proved that it was possible for humans to live in space for a long period of time. He and his crew also studied Comet Kohoutek. He later formed a company that assisted in space station designing.

 50 
Koichi Tanaka
(Electrical Engineer who shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2002)
Koichi Tanaka
2
Birthdate: August 3, 1959
Birthplace: Toyama, Toyama, Japan