1. Ole Evinrude, born Ole Andreassen Aaslundeie was an American entrepreneur, known for the invention of the first outboard motor with practical commercial application.
11 Facts About Ole Evinrude
1. 2.
Ole Evinrude was born in Hunndalen in the municipality of Vardal, in Oppland, Norway.
3.
The Evinrude surname, which he adopted in the United States, is an oeconym from the Evenrud farm in Vestre Toten, where his mother was born.
4.
The family settled on a farm near Lake Ripley in Cambridge, Wisconsin and Ole Evinrude first tried out his motor on that lake.
5.
At age sixteen, Ole Evinrude went to Madison, where he worked in machinery stores and studied engineering on his own.
6.
Ole Evinrude became a machinist while working at various machine tool firms in Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, and Chicago.
7.
Ole Evinrude reported that his invention was inspired by rowing a boat on Okauchee Lake, a small lake outside Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on a hot day to get ice cream for his girlfriend, Bess.
8.
Ole Evinrude let two motorcycle-mad teens tinker in his Milwaukee-based machine shop; one was named Arthur Davidson, who went on to Harley-Davidson motorcycle fame, based in Milwaukee.
9.
Ole Evinrude formed Evinrude Outboard Motors, which he sold in 1913 in order to look after his sick wife.
10.
In 1919, Ole Evinrude invented a more efficient and lighter two-cylinder motor.
11.
Ole Evinrude is called Evinrude Outboard Motors, and is owned by Bombardier Recreational Products.