Oliver Evans, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

    

Oliver Evans

American inventor

Date of Birth: 13-Sep-1755

Place of Birth: Newport, Delaware, United States

Date of Death: 15-Apr-1819

Profession: inventor

Nationality: United States

Zodiac Sign: Virgo


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About Oliver Evans

  • Oliver Evans (September 13, 1755 – April 15, 1819) was an American inventor, engineer and businessman born in rural Delaware and later rooted commercially in Philadelphia.
  • He was one of the first Americans building steam engines and an advocate of high pressure steam (vs.
  • low pressure steam).
  • A pioneer in the fields of automation, materials handling and steam power, Evans was one of the most prolific and influential inventors in the early years of the United States.
  • He left behind a long series of accomplishments, most notably designing and building the first fully automated industrial process, the first high-pressure steam engine, and the first (albeit crude) amphibious vehicle and American automobile. Born in Newport, Delaware, Evans received little formal education and in his mid-teens was apprenticed to a wheelwright.
  • Going into business with his brothers, he worked for over a decade designing, building and perfecting an automated mill with devices such as bucket chains and conveyor belts.
  • In doing so Evans designed a continuous process of manufacturing that required no human labor.
  • This novel concept would prove critical to the Industrial Revolution and the development of mass production.
  • Later in life Evans turned his attention to steam power, and built the first high-pressure steam engine in the United States in 1801, developing his design independently of Richard Trevithick, who built the first in the world a year earlier.
  • Evans was a driving force in the development and adoption of high-pressure steam engines in the United States.
  • Evans dreamed of building a steam-powered wagon and would eventually construct and run one in 1805.
  • Known as the Oruktor Amphibolos, it was the first automobile in the country and the world's first amphibious vehicle, although it was too primitive to be a success as either. Evans was a visionary who produced designs and ideas far ahead of their time.
  • He was the first to describe vapor-compression refrigeration and propose a design for the first refrigerator in 1805, but it would be three decades until his colleague Jacob Perkins would be able to construct a working example.
  • Similarly, he drew up designs for a solar boiler, machine gun, steam-carriage gearshift, dough-kneading machine, perpetual baking oven, marine salvage process, quadruple-effect evaporator, and a scheme for urban gas lighting, ideas and designs which would not be made reality until some time after his death.
  • Evans had influential backers and political allies, but lacked social graces and was disliked by many of his peers.
  • Disappointed and then angry at the perceived lack of recognition for his contributions, Evans became combative and bitter in later years, which damaged his reputation and left him isolated.
  • Despite the importance of his work, his contributions were frequently overlooked (or attributed to others after his death) so he never became a household name alongside the other steam pioneers of his era.

Read more at Wikipedia

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