Historic engineers ‘better known’ than their modern counterparts

The achievements of modern inventors such as British engineer Frank Whittle (11%), best known as the inventor of the turbo jet engine, and James Dyson (7%), languish near the bottom of the list. The man behind the telephone, Alexander Graham Bell (41%), topped the poll of the greatest British engineers of all time ahead of George Stephenson (38%), the inventor of the steam locomotive engine and Isambard Kingdom Brunel (37%), who built the Great Western Railway. Also featuring highly in the list was John Logie Baird (23%), the inventor of the colour television, and Michael Faraday (12%), the forefather of electromagnetism and electrochemistry who discovered electrolysis. Barry Brooks, who this week became the new president of the IET, said: "The survey highlights a lack of awareness of the central role of engineering and engineers in our everyday lives. "Engineering and technology benefits everyone, everywhere in the world. When you turn on the lights, receive calls and data on your mobile phone, or drive your car, these things couldn't have been done without the work of engineers." The survey also showed that less than 2% had heard of some of Britain's greatest current engineers such as Trevor Baylis, best known for inventing the wind-up radio. Respondents were also tested on whether they were aware of which great inventions came out of Britain, with a third (34%) unaware that the telephone was invented here, 37% the television, 26% the jet engine and a quarter (25%) the steam engine. While three quarters of those surveyed were confident that they knew what an engineer was and did, less than half (44%) correctly identified that an engineer is a person who designs, builds or maintains engines, machines or public works.