Every time you put sugar in your coffee, you benefit from the work of a free man of color from New Orleans who solved one of the 19th century's most important engineering problems. Norbert Rillieux was a cousin of Edgar Degas and the youngest instructor at the Ecole Centrale in Paris.
A Creole Engineer
Born March 17, 1806, in New Orleans, Rillieux was the son of a white plantation owner and a free woman of color. He studied at the Ecole Centrale in Paris and by 24 was teaching applied mechanics.
The Invention
Rillieux invented the multiple-effect evaporator, patented in 1846, which revolutionized sugar production. The technology is still the basis of modern industrial evaporation worldwide. He was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
Dirty Coast Connection
Periodic Table of New Orleans and Congo Square celebrate the heritage that produced minds like his. Be A New Orleanian Wherever You Are.
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