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INTRODUCTION
One of nine children in a Lutheran minister's family, Carl von Linde (Figure 1 ) was born in a village in upper Franconia/ Bavaria (Figure 2). He grew up well educated in a typical middle-class family and spoke German and French by age ten.
While in high school in Kempten, Linde met the owner of a cotton spinning mill and was impressed by the mill's nozzles and steam engines, sparking his interest in engineering. Though his father wanted him to study theology, young Linde decided to study mechanical engineering at the prestigious Zurich Polytechnic. Among his teachers were Rudolf Clausius and Gustav Anton Zeuner, both of whom made significant contributions to engineering science by introducing entropy as an important indicator for calculations of machines and plants. Unfortunately, Linde's participation in a student protest against the school's director caused him to be expelled without a diploma in 1864; however, letters of recommendation from Zeuner and Reuleaux opened doors for further opportunities in the industry.
Professional Work
In 1864, Linde's professional work began at the machine-building facilities of August Borsig in Berlin, where he constructed steam locomotives. Linde's duties included not only technical work but also the conducting and delivery of locomotives. In 1866, he married Helene Grimm (Figure 3), whom he had known since childhood, and went to Munich as director of the construction office of the newly founded Krauss Locomotive Company. The company's first locomotive, delivered by Linde himself, won a gold medal at the 1867 World Exhibition in Paris and can be found today in the Deutsche Museum in Munich.
SCIENTIST AND RESEARCHER
In 1868, the Technical University of Munich was established and appointed Linde as associate professor of mechanical engineering, but his meager salary could not support his growing family. Linde was forced to find extra income by writing and editing an industrial and commercial journal, Bayerisches Industrie- und Gewerbeblatt. Linde foresaw the importance of mechanical thermodynamics and soon made this the focus of his articles. As a result of his tremendous workload, Linde's health declined. In 1872, Linde took a hiatus from the university and took his family to Berchtesgaden on the Obersalzberg in the Bavarian mountains, where he later built a house (Figure 4).
Linde's financial situation improved with an...