RIP Nikolaus Otto

Where were you when the engine died?

Sudden death of a close friend or a high profile celebrity is always a galvanizing event. Oftentimes the shock and disbelief burns the memory of the moment into one’s mind forever. For instance, people of a certain age can still remember every detail of the moment they learned that John F. Kennedy had been assassinated—where they were, the weather, even minute details like what might have been playing on the radio before the announcement. Which leads me to the question, “Where were you the day the internal combustion engine died?”