7. George Westinghouse
- Most Famous For Inventing: Railway Air Brake, Alternating Current Distribution System
George Westinghouse was a brilliant man and one of the world’s greatest inventors during his time. Working as an engineer, he invented the railway air brake, something that helped all trains stop. In fact, this essential fail-safe system is still in place today in both trains and subways. This made him a wealthy man, allowing him to get into the electrical game with Nikola Tesla.