STORIES ABOUT PEOPLE: BIOGRAPHIES

History is always made by people. Of course, this also applies to the age of the industrial revolution. Industrial history is also not only told through architectural evidence such as mines, production plants or workers' settlements. Just as important are the people of both sexes: inventors, entrepreneurs, financiers and above all the workers.
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In the following, we present more than 270 biographies of selected personalities who have influenced the industrial history of Europe, their countries, regions, cities or a branch of industry ...

August Borsig (1804–54)

(Johann Friedrich) August Borsig was the founder of one of Germany`s principal engineering companies. He was born, the son of a carpenter ...

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Robert Bosch (1861–1942)

Robert Bosch is best-known in the history of technology for his role in the development of the spark plug, and in business history as the ...

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George Bradshaw (1801–53)

George Bradshaw, cartographer, printer, engraver and publisher publicised the concept of travelling by rail for enjoyment and education ...

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Thomas Brassey (1805–70)

Thomas Brassey was the first civil engineering contractor to work on a European, or rather on a global scale. He had the ability to manage ...

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Wernher von Braun (1912–77)

Wernher von Braun was one of the outstanding pioneers of rocket propulsion of the 20th century, and designed the rockets that enabled ...

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Vincenzo Stefano Breda (1825–1903)

Breda was among the most important engineers and entrepreneurs of nineteenth-century Italy. He was born in 1825 at Limena, close to the ...

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James Brindley (1716–72)

James Brindley was the leading British canal engineer in the early part of the Industrial Revolution. He was responsible for a network of ...

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Johann Gottfried Brügelmann (1750–1802)

Johann Gottfried Brügelmann brought the idea of the cotton factory from England to mainland Europe. In 1771, Richard Arkwright built the ...

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Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806–59)

Isambard Kingdom Brunel was the most imaginative figure in the heroic age of British civil engineering. He was the son of Sir Marc ...

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Éttorre Bugatti (1881–1947)

Éttorre Bugatti is best known as the builder of some of Europe’s most prestigious performance cars, but his interests extended to other ...

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Reinhold Burger (1866–1954)

Reinhold Burger was born in the glassmaking community at Baruth, south of Berlin, and through his work in glass technology did much to ...

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Carlos Carbonell y Morand (1856–1917)

Carlos Carbonell y Morand was an important figure in the development and promotion of the olive oil industry in Andalucía, Spain. He ...

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Edmond Cartwright (1742–1823)

The Church of England clergyman, poet and inventor Edmond Cartwright started a revolution in the mechanisation of textile weaving. While ...

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Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel (1883–1971)

The career of Coco Chanel exemplifies the power of brands in twentieth-century industry and the extension of the market for luxury goods ...

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Victor Chávarri Salazar (1857–1900)

Victor Francisco Chávarri Salazar was an industrialist and businessman who contributed to the industrial development of Vizcaya (the ...

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Víctor Chávarri y Anduiza (1888–1970)

Like his father, Victor Chávarri senior (1854-1900), Victor José Luis Paulino de Chávarri y Anduiza became a major figure in the Basque ...

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