"Actually, the T-34 tank had it’s body & tracks designed by an American. So, maybe the Ruskies NEVER have had an original idea..."Sometimes the arrogance of Freepers gets me. I could name a few Russians with original ideas. Mendeleev, the discoverer of the periodic table of elements. Timoshenko (arguably of Ukrainian descent, but educated in Russia, culturally Russian, spoke Russian), and was forced to emigrate after the Communist revolution. Igor Sikorsky, also raised, educated and started his design career in the Russian Empire. In fact, throughout history events like Pearl Harbor and the launch of Sputnik show how dangerous it is to dismiss your potential adversary as primitives, capable only of emulation.
I forgot to say Stepan Timoshenko was the father of modern engineering mechanics.