Famous Sheffield icons throughout history
Throughout history Sheffield has been the hometown of many famous icons with many talents. Below is a list of just a few of Sheffield's famous icons throughout history.
Harry Brearley was born and bred in Sheffield, and he began life as the son of a steel melter, but went on to invent one of Sheffield's most famous inventions, stainless steel. His life had humble beginnings, leaving school at the tender age of just 12 to be thrust into the steel profession as a labourer. He came to discover stainless steel during the First World War, when he found that steel rusted very easily and was prone to excessive wear. He found that adding chromium to the mix protected the steel against this, thus discovering what we know today as stainless steel.
The late Sir John Fowler was British civil engineer who specialised in railway construction and railway infrastructure. He was born in Wadsley, Sheffield and went on to become an engineer working on the world's first underground railway, the Metropolitan Railway in London. He then went on in the 1880s, to become chief engineer for the Forth Railway Bridge near Edinburgh, Scotland. He also went on to become the youngest president of the Institution of Civil Engineers, and his work represents a lasting legacy of Victorian civil engineering.
The late Sir Robert Abbott Hadfield was a Sheffield born metallurgist, famous for his discovery of manganese steel and silicon steel, some of the first steel alloys in 1882. The University of Sheffield named a department of materials of science and engineering building the Sir Robert Hadfield Building in his honour. The Northern General Hospital in Sheffield has also named a wing after him.
Alexander David Turner, better known as Alex Turner is the front man and guitarist of one of the most recent success stories in the music world to come out of the steel city, the Arctic Monkeys. Alex was born in the High Green in Sheffield, and was his band was snapped up in 2005 by Domino Records. Their debut album 'Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I Am Not' turned out to be the fastest selling debut album in the history of music, and they went on to conquer the US charts as well. He is also known for his work on a side-project called The Last Shadow Puppets and has attempted a solo career.
Harry Brearley was born and bred in Sheffield, and he began life as the son of a steel melter, but went on to invent one of Sheffield's most famous inventions, stainless steel. His life had humble beginnings, leaving school at the tender age of just 12 to be thrust into the steel profession as a labourer. He came to discover stainless steel during the First World War, when he found that steel rusted very easily and was prone to excessive wear. He found that adding chromium to the mix protected the steel against this, thus discovering what we know today as stainless steel.
The late Sir John Fowler was British civil engineer who specialised in railway construction and railway infrastructure. He was born in Wadsley, Sheffield and went on to become an engineer working on the world's first underground railway, the Metropolitan Railway in London. He then went on in the 1880s, to become chief engineer for the Forth Railway Bridge near Edinburgh, Scotland. He also went on to become the youngest president of the Institution of Civil Engineers, and his work represents a lasting legacy of Victorian civil engineering.
The late Sir Robert Abbott Hadfield was a Sheffield born metallurgist, famous for his discovery of manganese steel and silicon steel, some of the first steel alloys in 1882. The University of Sheffield named a department of materials of science and engineering building the Sir Robert Hadfield Building in his honour. The Northern General Hospital in Sheffield has also named a wing after him.
Alexander David Turner, better known as Alex Turner is the front man and guitarist of one of the most recent success stories in the music world to come out of the steel city, the Arctic Monkeys. Alex was born in the High Green in Sheffield, and was his band was snapped up in 2005 by Domino Records. Their debut album 'Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I Am Not' turned out to be the fastest selling debut album in the history of music, and they went on to conquer the US charts as well. He is also known for his work on a side-project called The Last Shadow Puppets and has attempted a solo career.
