Paul MacCready's Gossamer Condor was a wonder. I still remember the first time I saw the film of a man peddling to fly. The idea that a plane could be so efficient that a human could power it is... astonishing. That was not enough for Paul. He followed the Condor with solar-powered planes with NASA. Then solar-powered cars.

He teamed with GM to make the Sunraycer. It won a race with a 50 percent lead over the second place finisher. GM was so impressed they made the Impact electric car concept. The Impact became the EV1, which changed everything. You could say Paul inspired the interest in electric cars we see today.

Ever seen those remote control planes in Iraq? That's Aerovironment's work. Paul founded that company. Yeah, pretty much anything cool, Paul did it. Rest in peace Paul. You will be missed. You were a true pioneer. Check out the video about the Condor. It won Academy Award for Best Documentary. Paul had a knack for winning.

[Source: LA Times]