From Mary Bellis,
Your Guide to Inventors.
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Thomas Telford was the son of a Dumfriesshire shepherd. With a background in stonemasonary, Telford became a civil engineer.

During his time, Thomas Telford improved upon the method of building roads with broken stones by analyzing stone thickness, road traffic, road alignment and gradient slopes. Eventually his designs became the norm for all roads everywhere.

Thomas Telford's Greatest Achievements

Comsidered one of the best engineers in the world, Thomas Telford's achievements of civil engineering include:

• Caledonian Canal
• One thousand miles of road built
• one thousand bridges built
• forty harbors
• Gotha Canal
• Katherine's Docks in London
• Menai Bridge
• Improvements to the Glasgow to Carlisle Roadway

Menai Suspension Bridge

The Menai Suspension Bridge in North Wales completed 1826 by Thomas Telford is considered one of the greatest examples of iron works ever built.

Institution of Civil Engineers

Telford served as the first President of the Institution of Civil Engineers of the United Kingdom from 1820 to 1834.

• Born August 9 1757, near Westerkirk, Dumfries, Scotland
• Died September 2 1834, London, England