The Most

Influential Civil
Engineers
throughout
History

Without civil engineering, our

buildings wouldn’t be constructed,
our bridges wouldn’t be designed,
and our roads wouldn’t be functional.
Nearly every piece of infrastructure
in society is the result of a civil
engineering mastermind. These
individuals provide practical solutions
to overwhelming problems, advance
science and technology, and turn
theories into principles that improve
daily life. Although the modern
engineering industry owes a debt to
hundreds of innovators over time,
these are some of the most
influential civil engineers throughout
history.

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Archimedes of Syracuse (287-212

BC)

Before the term “civil engineering”

even had meaning, Archimedes of
Syracuse was paving the way for
generations that followed him. He
invested the compound pulley, which
turned out to be one of the most
important inventions in history, and
also developed engineering
principles for fluid displacement.

John Smeaton (1724-1792)

John Smeaton is considered to be

the first civil engineer and is often
referred to as the “Father of Civil
Engineering.” He worked to create
windmills and waterwheels during
the Industrial Revolution and
published a paper about the
correlation between pressure and
velocity for objects moving through
the air. Smeaton had an extensive
series of commissions for the design
of bridges, canals, harbors and
lighthouses.

Benjamin Wright (1770-1842)

While Smeaton gets the title of

“Father of Civil Engineering,”
Benjamin Wright has been declared
the “Father of American Civil
Engineering.” He was the man in
charge of constructing the Erie,
Delaware, Hudson, Chesapeake,
and Ohio Canals. Five of Wright’s
nine children followed in their father’s
footsteps and became civil engineers
as well.

Squire Whipple (1804-1888)

Squire Whipple designed and built a

weight lock scale that had a capacity
of 300 tons, which proved especially
useful to build bridges. He used his
invention to weigh canal boats and
also built several short span iron
bridges for the New York and Erie
Railroad. Although his designs
became known around the world,
he’s perhaps best known for his work
on the Erie Canal.

Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806-

1859)

One of the most versatile civil

engineers in history is Isambard
Kingdom Brunel, who became
famous for designing tunnels,
railroad lines, bridges, and ships. His
most well-known accomplishment
was creating the network of tunnels,
viaducts, and bridges for the Great
Western Railway that linked London
to Bristol.

Henry Bessemer (1813-1898)

An Englishman, Sir Henry Bessemer,

is credited for inventing the first
mass-producing steel process that
led to the development of the
modern skyscraper. He patented a
de-carbonization process that utilized
blasts of air in 1855, and he was
later knighted for his contribution to
the scientific community.

Arthur Casagrande (1902-1981)

A former Harvard professor, Arthur

Casagrande developed the design
principles used in the construction of
earth and rock dams throughout the
world. While working as a consultant
to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
he contributed to theoretical work in
the field of soil behavior and the
construction of many dams around
the world.

Photo credits: Tim Green and Père

Ubu via Flickr

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