Ole Evinrude
He put a motor on the back of a rowboat and launched a new era of recreational boating for the masses.
1877–1934 (age 57)·American inventor·Birthday: April 19·The Gilded Age
Biography
Ole Evinrude's eureka moment came on a hot Wisconsin day, rowing across a lake for ice cream that melted before he could return. A Norwegian immigrant and self-taught machinist, he was determined to find a better way. In 1909, after years of tinkering, he produced a single-cylinder, detachable outboard motor that was reliable, portable, and instantly practical. He and his partner, later his wife Bess, founded the Evinrude Motors Company, selling out their first production run in days. His invention transformed lakes and rivers, turning the arduous chore of rowing into accessible leisure and vital transport. While he sold the company in 1914 for health reasons, he returned to found the ELTO company for lighter motors, sparking an industry that forever changed how people interacted with the water.
The Gilded Age
1860–1882
Born during or after the Civil War, they built industrial America — the railroads, the steel mills, the first skyscrapers. An era of massive wealth, massive inequality, and the belief that the future belonged to whoever could build it fastest.
Ole was born in 1877, placing them squarely in The Gilded Age. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Ole Was Born
The biggest hits of 1877
Ole's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1877Born
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
1882Started school
First electrical power plant opens in New York
President: Chester A. Arthur
1890Became a teenager
Wounded Knee massacre marks the end of the Indian Wars
President: Benjamin Harrison
1893Could drive
World's Columbian Exposition dazzles Chicago
President: Grover Cleveland
1895Could vote
First public film screening by the Lumiere brothers
President: Grover Cleveland
1898Turned 21
Spanish-American War; US emerges as a world power
President: William McKinley
1907Turned 30
Financial panic grips Wall Street
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1917Turned 40
Russian Revolution overthrows the tsar; US enters WWI
President: Woodrow Wilson
1927Turned 50
Lindbergh flies solo across the Atlantic; The Jazz Singer premieres
President: Calvin Coolidge"My Blue Heaven" — Gene Austin
1934Died at 57
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stars Fell on Alabama" — Jack TeagardenBest Picture: It Happened One Night
Key Achievements
- Invented and commercially produced the first practical, detachable outboard motor in 1909.
- Co-founded the Evinrude Motors Company, which became a cornerstone of the American marine industry.
- Later founded the ELTO (Evinrude Light Twin Outboard) Company, pioneering lighter two-cylinder motors.
Did You Know?
His business partner and later wife, Bess Evinrude, was crucial to the company's management and success.
The inspiration for his motor famously came from a frustrating trip to fetch ice cream for his future wife.
He was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2007.
The original 1909 Evinrude motor weighed 62 pounds and produced 1.5 horsepower.
“I built it so a man could fish without wearing out the seat of his pants.”
