Timeline of motor and engine technology

1698 - Thomas Savery builds a steam-powered water pump for pumping water out of mines
1712 - Thomas Newcomen builds a piston-and-cylinder steam-powered water pump for pumping water out of mines
1769 - James Watt patents his first improved steam engine
1816 - Robert Stirling invented his hot air Stirling engine
1821 - Michael Faraday builds an electricity-powered motor
1837 - First American patent for an electric motor (U.S. Patent 132 )
1877 - Nikolaus Otto patents a four-stroke internal combustion engine (U.S. Patent 194047 )
1888 - Nikola Tesla patents the induction motor (U.S. Patent 381968 )
1892 - Rudolf Diesel patents the Diesel engine (U.S. Patent 608845 )
1929 - Felix Wankel patents the Wankel rotary engine (U.S. Patent 2988008 )
1937 - Hans von Ohain builds a gas turbine
1960s - alternators replace generators on automobile engines
1970s - electronically controlled ignition appears in automobile engines
1980s - electronically controlled ignition improved to reduce pollution
1980s - electronic fuel injection appears on gasoline automobile engines
1990s - Hybrid vehicles that run on an internal combustion engine and an electric motor charged by the previous engine to retain pick power usage.