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invention catapulted him to both fame and fortune, making him a millionaire several times over in just a few years.

There were problems however. There were similarities between his engine and one designed by Herbert Ackroyd Stuart in 1890. Though Diesel successfully defended his engine's priority in the patent disputes that followed; the pressure lead to a series of breakdowns.

Nonetheless he was successful being awarded patent #608,845 by the US patent office in 1898.

Other pressures followed from the engine itself. The engine was so advanced it was actually beyond the manufacturing capabilities of the day. For several years Diesel was kept busy running all over the world trying to solve the manufacturing difficulties that kept cropping up. This took a significant toll on both his mental and physical health. This lead to nearly constant migraine headaches, that wore him down.

Though he was aptly financially rewarded for his efforts he was unable to enjoy it because he lost most of the money to mismanagement. Unfortunately his brilliance in engineering did not carry over into financial matters.

On September 29th, 1913 this brilliant man's life came to an end in the icy waters of the English Channel. He'd boarded the SS Dresden to cross the channel so he could be the guest of honor at the opening of a new diesel factory in London. In the morning the cabin steward found Diesel's cabin empty. Several days later his body was found by another ship.

It's unclear whether it was suicide, accident or murder. The German military was starting to use diesels in their subs; Rudolph was vehemently opposed to this. His family says that he committed suicide because of the theft of his invention and that a cross in his journal on the day of his death indicates this.

Others believe the Germans were worried that Diesel might help the Royal Navy to equip their subs with his engine and wanted to stop it.

Whatever the truth of his death, Diesel's legacy is very much with us today in the many machines that continue to use his engine. With the rise of biodiesel fuels that legacy only promises to grow as time goes on.

Learn more about this author, Rigel Kent.
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