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Robert Henry Thurston
1839–1903
A pioneering American engineer, he helped shape mechanical engineering as a university discipline in the United States and wrote widely about steam engines, iron, and steel. His career linked naval instruction, industrial research, and the rise of modern engineering education.
1 Audiobook
A History of the Growth of the Steam-Engine
by Robert Henry Thurston
About the author
Born on October 25, 1839, Robert Henry Thurston became one of the most influential engineering educators of his era. He served at the U.S. Naval Academy and later joined Stevens Institute of Technology, where he became its first professor of mechanical engineering.
Thurston was known for his work on steam engines and on the properties of iron and steel, and he published extensively for both technical and general readers. His writing helped explain fast-changing industrial technology at a time when engineering was becoming a distinct modern profession.
He later moved to Cornell University, where he became the first director of Sibley College and helped build one of the country's important centers for engineering study. He died on October 25, 1903, leaving behind a strong legacy in American engineering education.