Isambard Kingdom Brunel
An Engineer; A Living Legend
The Story Behind the Name
When I was first assigned Isambard Kingdom Brunel, I thought it couldn't be right. I thought it must have been a group of people or a stage name of some sort. Admittedly, I was wrong. His dad's name was Marc Isambard Brunel and his mother's was Sophia Kingdom. A combination of the two was how Mr. Brunel got his name. In his family, there were many traditions; one being similarity in names. With that said, Isambard named his two sons Isambard Brunel Junior & Henry Marc Brunel. His son Henry Marc Brunel was a very famous civil engineer. He followed in the steps of his father and grandfather.
The Early Years
Isambard Kingdom Brunel was born on April 9, 1806 in Portsmouth England. Soon after Isambard was born, his family left Portsmouth and moved to 10 Lindsey Row, Chelsea. His father was a farmer, but was pleased that his son had a passion for engineering. Though their family was financially handicapped, they made their son’s education a priority. His dad thought it was money well spent paying for Isambard's education and sent him to a highly regarded pre-preparatory boarding school. Later on in life, Brunel attended the University of Caen Lower Normandy.
Isambard's Beloved Ones
On On July 5, 1836, Isambard Kingdom Brunel married Mary Elizabeth Horsley who came from an accomplished musical and artistic family. She was the oldest daughter of the composer, William Horsley. As I said earlier, Isambard & Mary had 3 children, with Henry Marc Brunel being the most successful. Isambard and his father were very close. In fact, they engineered the Thames River Tunnel, the world's first underwater tunnel together in a tag-team, father-son project.
Isambard's Legacy
Isambard Kingdom Brunel stated that his biggest inspiration was Joseph Paxson, but now, Brunel has grown to have a greater legacy than his very own role model. Brunel has had an abundance of inventions and innovations such as bridges, tunnels, railways, docks and ships. His most famous creation is the Great Western Railway (pictured below). It was a railway company that linked London with England and most of Wales & was ground-breaking at the time. In 1828 the even Royal Humane Society decided to award Brunel an "Honorary Medallion" - or Silver Medal - for his "meritorious and gallant conduct ... in saving human life." On September 15, 1859 (age 53) he passed away in London, England.
Sources
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isambard_Kingdom_Brunel
Eureka! Volume 6 – Linda Schmittroth, Mary Reilly McCall, Bridget Travers