Ten Transport Pioneers Who Changed the World

Its cast of innovators range from Cornish mining pioneer Richard Trevithick to the French nobleman Marquis Jouffroy d'Abbans, who each played a part in reshaping how we travel.

Across land, sea and sky, their breakthroughs charted leaps in development that created lasting change: aqueducts and flights of locks that revolutionised inland waterways; paddle steamers and iron-hulled ships that redefined maritime power; the hot-air balloon and the jet engine that conquered the air; and the internal combustion engine and first electric locomotive that propelled transport forward.

These are stories of bold ideas and those who conceived them - pioneers who challenged convention and pushed the boundaries of what seemed possible.