The 50 Greatest Engineers

Book excerpt: In this stunning jacketed hardback, science writer Paul Virr introduces 50 of the world's most influential engineers of all time and a selection of their groundbreaking inventions, showcased with full-colour photography. Engineering is everywhere, from the Large Hadron Collider to invisibly small circuits on silicon chips. The 50 Greatest Engineers celebrates the great achievements that have been made through the ages, containing profiles of the best-known and most innovative engineers of all time. Chosen from across the globe, they include a diverse range of talent - from the likes of Nikola Tesla, Lillian Moller Gilbreth and Gustave Eiffel to Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Fazlu Rahman Khan and the Wright Brothers. Fully illustrated in full-color with examples of their major works, whether they be machines, buildings, bridges or life-changing technical innovations, this fascinating book explores how these men and women have beaten the odds to develop them. Includes: • Full-colour photographs and illustrations of famous inventions • Concise professional biographies of the engineers listed • Entries arranged in chronological order for easy reference This is the perfect reference book for all the family to answer the question - 'Who made that?'