Life story
Aurel Stodola was born on 10 May 1859 in Liptovský Mikuláš. He studied mechanical engineering in Budapest, Zürich and Berlin and became one of the greatest engineers of his age — a man who united profound theory with a feel for the practical machine.
For more than thirty years he lectured at the polytechnic in Zürich. His seminal work on steam and gas turbines became a textbook the world over; he laid the scientific foundations of modern power engineering, and his calculations drove power plants across the globe.
He collaborated with Albert Einstein, with whom he shared friendship and mutual respect. Among the first, he also devoted himself to the automatic control of machines and designed a movable artificial arm for war invalids — a union of engineering and humanity.
He died on 25 December 1942 in Zürich. His remains were later brought back to his homeland and laid to rest in the National Cemetery in Martin. He remained a symbol of Slovak engineering genius that reached far beyond the borders of a small country.
Biographical information from public sources. Portrait: Wikimedia Commons (Public domain).
Constellation of Life
Important milestones that shaped their journey.