Date: 01 Dec 1999 12:23:00 +0200 From: ASWAD-AT-anarch.free.de (catkawin) Subject: Re: American Inventions? carp enlightened us about inventors: > But that's not why I posted the reply. Really it's to set the car debate to > order. Any true gasoholic knows the first mobile land car was built by, > gulp, a damn Frog: Cuqnot built a steam powered car in 1769. This sufficed > until the late 19th centruy when two Grrrrmans, a Daimler and Benz started > playing with the gasoline internal combustion engine invented by another > Grrrrman, Nikaus Otto (hmmmmm, "auto"...."otto?" coincidence?). No coincidence here due to different pronouciation: "auto" will be pronounced like "ow-to". I suppose if there's any Cockney on the list, they can come up with something nice about this ;) And thanks for giving Daimler's and Benz' pre-marital efforts the due credit, I was a bit p.o.ed already about these yanks assuming that any invention made was of course done by one of them ;) Reminds me of a joke: In a Soviet Museum, a Russian tourist is shown around by a guide. They eventually come into the room for the glory of all great Soviet inventors. So the guide explains: "Now this here is Comrade Semionov, he invented the telephone. And over there, that's Comrade Ivanov, he invented the X-ray machine. And to your left, that's Comrade Nikolaiev, he invented the combustion engine." The tourist, of course, is duly impressed. He then turns to a real huge picture showing another bloke and asks who he was. So the guide explains: "Well, that's Comrade Smirnov." The tourist, bewildered that no further explanation about Comrade Smirnov's merits is given, inquires further: "Well, and what did *he* invent?" To which the guide replies: "He invented the Comrades Semionov, Ivanov, and Nikolaiev." catkawin ## CrossPoint v3.11 ##
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