Lionel Simeon Marks (8 September 1871 – 6 January 1955) was a British engineer and one of the pioneers of

aeronautics Aeronautics is the science or art involved with the study, design, and manufacturing of air flight–capable machines, and the techniques of operating aircraft and rockets within the atmosphere. The British Royal Aeronautical Society identifies ...

. He was born and mostly educated in England, but in 1892 moved to the United States. During World War II he was a chief consulting engineer to the US Bureau of Aircraft Production. His ''

Marks' Standard Handbook for Mechanical Engineers ''Marks' Standard Handbook for Mechanical Engineers'' is a comprehensive handbook for the field of mechanical engineering. Originally based on the even older German , it was first published in 1916 by Lionel Simeon Marks. In 2017, its 12th editio ...

'' is considered as classical reference work.

Biography

Marks was born in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

, England, where he graduated from Mason Science College (which later became the

University of Birmingham , mottoeng = Through efforts to heights , established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery1836 – Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery1843 – Queen's College1875 – Mason Science College1898 – Mason Univers ...

) in 1892 with a bachelor of science degree. He received a fellowship to study at the

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

, New York, United States. In 1894, he became professor of mechanical engineering at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

and retired in 1940. In the early 1900s he was also professor at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

. On 21 June 1906 he married

Josephine Preston Peabody Josephine Preston Peabody (May 30, 1874 – December 4, 1922) was an American poet and dramatist. Biography Peabody was born in New York and educated at the Girls' Latin School, Boston, and at Radcliffe College. In 1898, she was introduced ...

, an American poet and dramatist. They had a daughter, Alison Peabody Marks (30 July 1908 – 7 April 2008), and a son, Lionel Peabody Marks (10 February 1910 – 25 January 1984). Marks died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

, aged 83.

Publications

His most famous work is ''

'', originally based on the German , was first published in 1916 as ''Mechanical Engineer's Handbook'' and contained 1836 pages. Its latest edition (11th, 2006) was compiled by 160 authors and comprised 1800 pages . His other books include * * *

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Marks, Lionel Simeon 1871 births 1955 deaths British mechanical engineers Cornell University alumni Alumni of University of London Worldwide Alumni of the University of London Alumni of the University of Birmingham British emigrants to the United States Harvard University faculty Massachusetts Institute of Technology faculty