Fran%C3%A7ois Isaac de Rivaz
Franois Isaac de Rivaz was an inventor and a politician. He invented a hydrogenpowered internal combustion engine with electric ignition and described it in a French patent published in 1807. In 1808 he fitted it into a primitive working vehicle the worlds first internal combustion powered automobile.
Isaac was born in Paris to a family from Valais. In 1763 the family settled in Motiers in Savoy . The last two boys, Anne Joseph and Isaac, came to settle in St. Gingolph in Valais. It is not known at which schools he studied, but he became fluent in Latin plus mastering mathematics and geometry, whilst continuing his study of mechanics throughout his life. He qualified as both a surveyor and notary and worked for the state of Valais.
Source: Wikipedia