Gottlob Honold was the leading engineer in the workshop of Robert Bosch

Robert Bosch

Robert Bosch was a German industrialist, engineer and inventor, founder of Robert Bosch GmbH.-Biography:...

 and, with Bosch, was the inventor of the spark plug

Spark plug

A spark plug is an electrical device that fits into the cylinder head of some internal combustion engines and ignites compressed fuels such as aerosol, gasoline, ethanol, and liquefied petroleum gas by means of an electric spark.Spark plugs have an insulated central electrode which is connected by...

 and the modern internal combustion engine

Internal combustion engine

The internal combustion engine is an engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer in a combustion chamber. In an internal combustion engine, the expansion of the high-temperature and high -pressure gases produced by combustion apply direct force to some component of the engine...

, as well as headlights. The combination of the Bosch spark plug and the high voltage magneto

Magneto

A magneto is a type of electrical generator.Magneto may also refer to:* Magneto , permanent magnetic alternating current rotary generator* ignition magneto, magnetos on internal combustion engines...

, a process patented on January 7, 1902, made it possible for the gasoline-powered engine to become the standard for motor vehicles.

Honold was born on August 26, 1876 in Langenau

Langenau

Langenau is a town in the district of Alb-Donau in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. It is situated 14 km northeast of Ulm.-Transport:Langenau is located directly on the Autobahn A7 and near the A8...

, in Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, about 10 miles northeast of Ulm. Honold's father was a friend of the father of Robert Bosch, and in 1891, Honold first worked in Bosch's Stuttgart workshop at the age of 14. Following graduation from the Ulm gymnasium, Honold studied engineering at the Stuttgart technical university. In 1901, Honold accepted an offer to become the technical manager of Bosch's company, and worked on the task of developing an improved ignition system for combustion engines. The Daimler

Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft

Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft was a German engine and later automobile manufacturer, in operation from 1890 until 1926. Founded by Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach, it was based first in Cannstatt...

 company ordered the Bosch engine and was soon breaking automotive speed records. Honold continued work on faster and more powerful engines.

In 1913, Honold helped develop the automotive headlights that are used today. Although lights had been used to some extent for night driving, the early lanterns did little more than to draw attention to a vehicle, and were of little use for illumination. It was Honold who conceived the idea of placing curved mirrors behind the lamp to increase the amount of light without taxing the automotive electrical system. Honold also helped develop the Bosch car horn. Honold died in Stuttgart on March 17, 1923, at the age of 47.

(Translated from de.wikipedia.org, "Gottlob_Honold")

See also

• German inventors and discoverers
  German inventors and discoverers
  This is a list of German inventors and discoverers. The following list comprises people from Germany or German-speaking Europe, also of people of predominantly German heritage, in alphabetical order of the surname. The main section includes existing articles, indicated by blue links, and possibly...