Inspiring Engineers

Fleming was an English electrical Engineer and Physicist who invented the first thermionic valve, or vacuum tube, designed the radio transmitter (with which the first transatlantic radio transmission was made), and also established the right-hand rule used in Physics.

Stephenson was an English Civil Engineer and Mechanical Engineer. Renowned as the 'Father of the Railways', Stephenson was considered by the Victorians as a great example of diligent application and thirst for improvement. His chosen rail gauge, sometimes called 'Stephenson's Gauge', was the basis for the 4' 8.5" standard gauge used by most of the World's railways.

Shilling was a British aeronautical Engineer. During the Second World War, she designed and developed 'Miss. Shilling's Orifice', which restricted fuel flow to the carburettor of the Rolls-Royce Merlin engines in the Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire fighters. This prevented the engines from flooding during nose-dives, as they had been.

Whitworth was an English Engineer, Entrepreneur, Inventor and Philanthropist. In 1841, he devised the British Standard Whitworth System, which created an accepted standard for screw heads. Whitworth also created the Whitworth Rifle, often called the 'Sharpshooter' because of its accuracy, and is considered one of the earliest examples of a Sniper.

Cockerell was an English Engineer and is best known as the Inventor of the Hovercraft. The first commercial hovercraft, the SR.N1, successfully crossed the English Channel from Calais to Dover on 25/07/1959, with Cockerell on board as ballast.

Brunel was an English Civil 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 constructions. Brunel built dockyards, the Great Western Railway, a series of steamships, and numerous important bridges and tunnels. His designs revolutionised public transport and modern Engineering.

Haslett was an English electrical Engineer, working as an electricity industry administrator. She was the first secretary of the Women's Engineering Society, and co-founded the Electrical Association for Women, which pioneered such wonders as the All-Electric House in Bristol in 1935. Her chief interest was harnessing the benefits of electrical power to emancipate women from household chores, enabling them to pursue their own ambitions outside the home.

Watson-Watt was a Scottish pioneer of radio direction finding and radar technology, widely known as 'the Father of radar'. In the 1930's he led a team of researchers to develop the aircraft direction detection technology that would later prove crucial to the Allied victory in the Battle of Britain.

Hobart was a British military Engineer noted for his command of the 79th Armoured Division during the Second World War. He was responsible for many of the specialised armoured vehicles, known as 'Hobart's Funnies', that took part in the invasion of Normandy and later actions.

Flowers was an English Engineer with the British General Post Office. During the Second World War, Flowers designed and built Colossus, the World's first programmable electrical computer, to help decipher encrypted German messages.

Ada was an English mathematician, now celebrated as one of the first computer programmers. She worked with Charles Babbage on his proposed Analytical Engine, and described in her notes an algorithm intended to be executed by the engine. She envisioned its ability to handle more complex tasks beyond mere calculations, which laid the foundation for modern computing.

A pioneering British engineer and the first Woman elected as full member of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers. She held 12 patents for inventions, including medical devices and engine improvements. As a co-founder of the Women’s Engineering Society, she championed Women’s careers in engineering, and is celebrated for breaking barriers in a very male-dominated field.

Parsons was a British Engineer best known for inventing the steam turbine in 1884 - a breakthrough transforming the generation of electricity and revolutionised marine propulsion. His invention replaced the inefficient piston engines and enabled ships and power stations to operate more efficiently and reliably. He famously demonstrated the power of his turbine by building Turbinia, the fastest ship of its time.