Ole Evinrude, born Ole Evenrudstuen (April 19, 1877—July 12, 1934) was a Norwegian-American inventor, known for the invention of the first outboard motor with practical commercial application.
Evinrude was born in Norway and at the age of five emigrated with his family to the United States, settling in Cambridge, Wisconsin. At age sixteen he went to Madison, where he worked in machinery stores and studied engineering on his own. He became a machi...
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Ole Evinrude, born Ole Evenrudstuen (April 19, 1877—July 12, 1934) was a Norwegian-American inventor, known for the invention of the first outboard motor with practical commercial application.
Evinrude was born in Norway and at the age of five emigrated with his family to the United States, settling in Cambridge, Wisconsin. At age sixteen he went to Madison, where he worked in machinery stores and studied engineering on his own. He became a machinist while working at various machine tool firms in Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, and Chicago.
In 1900, Evinrude co-founded the custom engine firm Clemick & Evinrude. In 1907, he invented the first practical and reliable outboard motor, which was built of steel and brass, and had a crank on the flywheel to start the two-cycle engine.
Evinrude reported that his invention was inspired by rowing a boat on a small lake outside Milwaukee, Wisconsin on a hot day to get ice cream for his girlfriend, Bess. By 1912, the firm employed 300 workers. Evinrude let...
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