Brunel was just 20 when he became resident engineer on his father's Thames Tunnel, and nearly drowned when it flooded in 1828. He bounced back to design the Clifton Suspension Bridge, build the Great Western Railway from London to Bristol, and launch three ships that changed sea travel: the Great Western, the Great Britain and the giant Great Eastern. He thought in whole journeys, a train from London running straight onto a steamship to New York. Not every idea worked, but he never once designed small.
★ LEADER
COLLECTION C001 · NO. 001
★ COLLECTION LEADER
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Railway & Ship Engineer
EXTRA-ORDINARY TRAIT
CREATIVITY
JFDI PILLAR
I — INSTINCT
COUNTRY & REGION
England (UK & Ireland)
LIFESPAN
1806 – 1859
GENDER
Man
EDITION
No.001
✦ DEFINING MOMENT
Standing before the giant launching chains of the Great Eastern, 1857
✦ ARCHIVAL DOSSIER
The Story
✦ DID YOU KNOW?
The Great Eastern was so big it was the only ship able to lay the first lasting transatlantic telegraph cable, in 1866.
✦ YOUR TURN
What would you build if going small wasn't an option?
COLLECTIBLE EDITIONS
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