Historical Figure
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
1806–1859
British mechanical and civil engineer (1806–1859)
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Biography
Isambard Kingdom Brunel was an English civil engineer and mechanical engineer who is considered "one of the most ingenious and prolific figures in engineering history", "one of the 19th-century engineering giants", and "one of the greatest figures of the Industrial Revolution, [who] changed the face of the English landscape with his groundbreaking designs and ingenious constructions". Brunel built dockyards, the Great Western Railway (GWR), a series of steamships including the first purpose-built transatlantic steamship, and numerous important bridges and tunnels. His designs revolutionised public transport and modern engineering.
Timeline
The story of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, told in moments.
Appointed chief engineer of the Great Western Railway at 27. He convinces the board to use a wider gauge than any other railway in Britain. It's faster and smoother. It's also incompatible with every other line in the country.
Launches the SS Great Britain, the first ocean-going ship with an iron hull and a screw propeller. Every expert says propellers can't work at that scale. The ship crosses the Atlantic in 14 days. It will sail for 30 years.
Designs a prefabricated hospital for the Crimean War. Florence Nightingale requests it. Brunel designs and builds it in five months. The mortality rate drops from 42% to 2%.
Dies at 53, ten days after suffering a stroke on the deck of his final ship, the Great Eastern. It's the largest ship ever built. He smoked 40 cigars a day, stood 5 feet 4 inches tall, and wore a stovepipe hat to compensate.
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